Hot For Teacher
by obsessedwithjayma
Summary: Wemma AU: Will is a single dad, new to Lima, Ohio. His life isn't looking too good until he meets his son's beautiful fifth-grade teacher, Emma Pillsbury. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but circumstances aren't favorable...
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is an AU multi-chapter Wemma fic. They are the same age as in the show, but Will has a ten-year-old son, Jacob. Jacob's mother is going to be somewhat of a mystery throughout the story, but you will find out more about her later. Emma is a single fifth-grade teacher, and she doesn't have OCD, but she does have some of that anxiety, and she still has all of her cute little quirks. :) **

**Please please please comment, criticize, anything is appreciated! Happy reading!**

* * *

"Well…" Will Schuester said, surveying his surroundings. "It's not too big." He smiled down at his anxious ten-year-old son, Jacob, and put an encouraging hand on his shoulder.

The kid looked apprehensive as ever, and Will hated to see his only son looking so scared. He hadn't wanted to move, he would have stayed in California if he could. But he knew it was for the best for the two of them to leave their old life and start a new one. They both needed to get away from Jacob's obsessive mother, and although Will hated to tear his son away from his school and his friends, he knew making the move to Ohio was necessary.

Will had chosen Ohio because of his parents, firstly. It was so saddening to be so many miles apart from them, especially as they grew older. It would be nice to have them somewhat nearby, so that Jacob could get to know his grandparents and establish some kind of a relationship with them. Also, Will was fond of the small town of Lima. He had grown up there, and still felt connected to the quiet town.

So there they were, father and son, standing in front of Jacob's new school, McKinley Elementary. The small boy was not looking forward to being the new kid, but at least he was starting at the beginning of the school year, not popping in right in the middle of it.

Will stood with his son in front of the intimidating school for a few minutes, not quite ready to let his son go yet. After a while, Will sighed and took his hand off of Jacob's small shoulder.

"All right, I guess you should go in now. I don't want you to be late on your first day," he said.

"Okay," Jacob replied hesitantly. He wrapped his arms around his strong father, giving him a quick embrace before running off into the big building with a wave.

Will stood there for a couple minutes, before turning around and driving home. There was no denying it, it was difficult for Will to see his son go to a whole new school in a completely different part of the country. Ever since his wife had become problematic, Will had admittedly become much more protective of his quiet son.

"Room 408… 408… 408…" Jacob kept muttering to himself, as he kept his eyes pealed, searching for his classroom. Where the heck was it? There was 402… 403… then 500?

_Rrrriiiiinnnnggg!_ The small boy jumped as the bell sounded loudly, and all of the energized kids suddenly disappeared into their designated classrooms. Jacob's heart raced and he began to panic as he still had no success in finding his class.

Finally, with the help of a janitor, he located room 408 and tugged open the heavy door. Every single kid turned their head and gave the latecomer a snooty look, except for one. The teacher, a petite woman with soft red hair, looked up at Jacob with a sweet smile.

"S-sorry I'm late," the nervous newcomer stuttered.

"Don't worry about it, it's the first day of school! It's easy to get lost. Are you new here?" The pretty teacher smiled warmly at Jacob.

He nodded nervously, sliding into a seat in the back row, eternally grateful to have an understanding, nice teacher. It could have been so much worse.

Outside of the educational bubble that was McKinley Elementary School, Will spent the day looking for work. Another reason for his decision to move to Lima was the knowledge that there were numerous job openings in the architectural industry. However, his job search proved more difficult than he had hoped, and he had little success in finding a job.

Later that day, Will drove back to the school to pick up Jacob. Scanning the massive crowds of energetic kids, Will fervently searched for his son's curly brown hair, small but strong body, and hopeful, excited face. Finally, Jacob appeared out of the throng of students, spotted Will's old blue mustang, and ran towards it happily.

He slid into the passenger seat quickly, giving his father a smile. "Hi Dad!"

Will returned the grin. "Hey buddy. How was your first day of school?"

"Good."

"Good? Did you make any friends?"

"Umm… I don't know, I don't really like the kids very much." Jacob looked down at his hands.

"Why not? Were they mean to you?" Will asked immediately, his voice raising slightly to show a deep level of concern and protection.

"No, no, they're just… different than the kids back home." Jacob's boyish voice trailed off as he thought of sunny California. "But Dad, there's something else."

"What is it, Jacob?"

"I'm in love."

Will raised his eyebrows curiously. "Is that so?" Jacob nodded, unable to keep the smile off his face.

"Who's the lucky gal?"

"Oh Dad, she's so amazing. She's pretty and nice and funny… and she smells like vanilla. Yummy vanilla ice cream." He paused for a second. "There's just one problem."

Will was grinning, amused by his son's confession. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"She's my teacher."

Will rolled his eyes good-naturedly and smiled at his lovestruck son. He reached his arm over and ruffled Jacob's mousy brown hair, before starting the car and backing out of the school parking lot. It was just like his odd son to announce that he was in love with his fifth grade teacher on the first day of school. He decided to play along, shaking his head at his son's antics.

"Well, what's her name?"

"Miss Pillsbury." Jacob smiled. "Like the dough boy!"

"Maybe you should find someone your own age, Jake," Will chuckled as they drove off toward home.

* * *

Back to school night. Will wasn't particularly fond of it. The last one he had been to, his wife had embarrassed the both of them. Shaking his head at the foul memory, Will slipped on his favorite leather jacket and grabbed his keys.

"Kay, Jacob, I'm leaving now. Behave for the sitter, okay?" He gave his son a kiss on the top of his head and rubbed his shoulders.

"I will, Daddy, I promise."

"Alright. Thanks so much," he said to the sitter. "I shouldn't be home any later than nine."

After multiple hugs and kisses exchanged between father and son, Will finally left the house, speeding away to McKinley Elementary. Because of his drawn-out goodbyes, he was running late to back to school night. Upon his arrival to the unfamiliar school, Will found his son's classroom and walked in (ten minutes late). As the door squeaked open, a wave of heads turned to look at him and Will Schuester experienced something quite similar to what his son had experienced not too long ago.

"Sorry I'm late," Will breathed with a sheepish smile. He tried to explain his tardiness, but his voice was caught in his throat as he caught sight of the beautiful redheaded woman standing at the front of the classroom. She was giving him a somewhat irritated smile, although under the irritation he could easily sense warmth and forgiveness.

Emma Pillsbury looked up at the man who had just burst into her classroom, out of breath and pink in the face. She was slightly annoyed by his grand (late) entrance, but once she caught sight of the disheveled man, her mouth curved into an involuntary smile. She knew who it was instantly. His messy brown curls, slim stature, and grand entrance reminded Emma exactly of his quirky son. She held back a giggle at the father-son similarities and motioned for him to sit down, trying to morph her face back into seriousness and continue her little speech to the parents.

Throughout the hour, Will listened attentively to his son's teacher, intrigued by her soft voice, her subtle sense of humor, her apparent knowledge and wisdom. And Emma couldn't help but glimpse back at her favorite student's father every few seconds, noticing adorable similarities in the way he sat with his hands under his chin, the way he paid so close attention to her, seeming to cling to her every word, the way he chuckled softly at her jokes that no one else seemed to get.

"Thank you all so much for coming," Emma concluded. "I have a wonderful group of kids this year, and I'm so grateful to have such a nice group of parents as well. I'm excited for this year to get going!"

The parents began to file out of the room, coupled off, hand in hand or arm in arm. Emma turned her back to the chattering parents, straightening up some papers that sat on her desk. After a few seconds, she felt a strong presence behind her, and she quickly turned around, immediately smiling at the sight of Jacob's father holding his hand out to her. She shook it, noticing his firm handshake.

"Hi," he said, grinning. "I'm Will Schuester, I'm Jacob's dad. You're Miss Pillsbury, right? I missed the introduction, sorry." His lopsided grin stayed, and he shrugged in apology for his late entrance.

"Emma," she said with a confident smile. "I figured you were Jacob's father. You two look so much alike…" she smiled back at him, noticing that he even mirrored his son's cute chin dimple, which became even more prominent as he smiled wider. By this time, all the parents had left the room, and it was just the two of them. Emma usually felt awkward and shy around parents, but for some reason, Will made her feel extremely comfortable.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Will said. "I secretly love to hear it." Emma laughed, sounding like beautiful bells on Christmas morning.

"So, where's Mrs. Schuester tonight?" Emma couldn't help but ask curiously. Will's smile faded and he looked down at his shoes.

"There, um… there is no Mrs. Schuester."

Emma's eyes instinctively flew to Will's left hand, which was very much ring-less. Her heart fluttered a little, and she reprimanded herself inside her head.

_What are you doing, Emma? Flirting with your student's father? You are _so_ messed up._

Although she wondered to no end what had happened to Jacob's mother, she scolded herself and brought the conversation to a different subject, talking about Jacob instead. She had nothing but praise for the quirky boy, and Will loved to hear it. After a while of easy conversation, Will looked down at his watch. 9:30. Ugh, he was late for the sitter.

"Well, uh, it's late… I don't want to make your husband worried…." Will looked up at Emma through his lashes to see her reaction.

"Oh I don't… I don't have a husband," Emma replied much too quickly, scolding herself again inside her head.

"Boyfriend?" Will inquired.

Emma shook her head, playing with the buttons on her cardigan. There was an awkward pause as the two stood there, unsure of what to say next.

"Well," Will broke the short silence. "I should go, I don't want to keep the sitter waiting…" he gradually backed away from his son's lovely teacher until he reached the door. Once he got to the door, he hesitated for a moment and scratched his head.

"Um… can we exchange numbers?" he said hastily. "Just so… you know, you can let me know how Jacob's doing in school and stuff…" Will's cheeks reddened and he played with his curls nervously.

Emma smiled hesitantly. "Of… of course," she said. "For Jacob's sake. That's a, um… that's a good idea."

They exchanged cell phone numbers, and Will gave a sort of salute as he backed out of the classroom.

"See you around, Emma," Will said with a smile.

"Bye, Will."

He walked out to his car, unable to keep the grin from spreading across his face. She was so lovely, and so sweet… _Will stop it,_ he scolded himself. _It's so inappropriate for you to have those thoughts about your son's fifth grade teacher._

But still… she was so wonderful. Will hadn't met a woman like that in a long, long time.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wake up, Jake, you're gonna be late for school!" Will gently shook the small boy until he groggily opened his eyes.

"It's only 7 Dad," he said sleepily. "School doesn't start til 8. I've still got time." He rolled over on his side and yawned.

"No, I think… I think you should get up, buddy. Let's get an early start this morning." Will was trying not to be too obvious, but it was difficult for him to hide his eagerness to take Jacob to school this morning. Sighing, Jacob relented and got out of bed. As he began to get ready for school, Will showered and shaved, telling himself he was doing it for the job interview he had later that day, not for a different reason.

When they arrived at school, Will got out of the car with his son.

"Uh… Dad? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I… I just want to walk you to your class, okay?" Will said absentmindedly, looking around the school for a certain ginger-haired teacher.

"You really don't have to, Dad. I'm fine," Jacob insisted, gently pushing his dad back to the car.

"Oh… okay…" Will stood there and waved at his son as he ran off toward his classroom. Soon, he abruptly turned around, only to bump ungracefully into none other but Emma Pillsbury. They both gasped sharply and Emma dropped all of the papers she had been holding.

"Son of a biscuit," she murmured under her breath.

"I… I'm so sorry!" Will stammered apologetically. She looked up and gave a small gasp as she realized who she had just bumped into.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Will, right?" _Yeah, as if you only just remembered his name. As if you hadn't stayed up half the night last night thinking about those sweet amber eyes._

He nodded and smiled, bending down to help her retrieve her papers.

"It's good to see you again, Emma," he said as she joined him on the ground, collecting her now dirty papers.

"You too," she laughed. "Sorry for my clumsiness."

He shook his head. "That was my fault," he insisted. Emma smiled at Will's chivalry and when they had collected all of Emma's fallen papers, they both straightened up and brushed themselves off.

"So um… are you heading to work?" Emma began.

"Nah," Will said. "Job interview. I'm an architect."

"Oh! Good luck with that," Emma said warmly. "I… I'd better go, class is supposed to start soon."

Will nodded, embarrassed that he was keeping her from her job.

"Yeah, of course, I, um… yeah. Bye, Emma," he called. She turned around and waved to him with a smile and continued to speed walk over to her class.

As soon as Emma entered her classroom, she was surrounded by loud, shouting, laughing, singing, spitball-throwing fifth graders. She knew that whenever she wasn't present in the classroom, her students got a little crazy, but it had never gotten this bad. They were all acting like monkeys. All except for Jacob Schuester, Emma noted, sitting alone in the corner, rolling his eyes at his immature classmates. She resisted a strange urge to smile at the eccentric boy, and instead shouted at the class to calm down. It took awhile, but finally she quieted them all down enough to start the lesson.

The day passed slowly, uneventful and normal. Although Jacob still felt that the behavior of his new peers was strange, he was beginning to slowly warm up to them. One, in particular. He had taken a liking to a blonde girl named Melody who sat in front of him in class. When Jacob brought the news to his father that he was no longer in love with Miss Pillsbury, Will hid his relief with a smile and an inquiry about his son's new love interest. However, wanting to talk about Jacob's beautiful teacher more, Will struck up a conversation with his son on the way to soccer practice.

"So… you don't love Miss Pillsbury anymore?"

"No no no… I still love her, Dad. I'm just not _in_ love with her. There's a big difference. You should know, Daddy."

Will smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand. She is pretty cool though, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She's so cool. She lets us eat in class. And she treats me like an actual person not just like a baby, like my teacher last year."

They had reached the soccer field, and Jacob gathered his soccer bag and unbuckled his seat belt.

"Bye, Jacob. I'll pick you up right here in two hours. Have fun."

"Bye, Daddy." Jacob gave his dad a quick hug before shutting the car door and running onto the grassy field.

Pulling out of the field's parking lot, Will sighed, not wanting to go home. At home, a stack of job applications were waiting for him, and he dreaded looking at that huge pile. His interview had gone well, but he wanted to give himself as many options as possible. Trying to delay his return to home, Will stopped at the drug store to run an errand. When he emerged from the store, he found that he still didn't want to go home, so grabbed his coat from the car and walked along the small shops and cute stores.

This street was one of his favorite parts of Lima, ever since he was a little kid. He always loved walking down the street and window shopping. As he walked, he reminisced about the ice cream shop he always loved going to with his friends. When he reached the shop, he smiled as he realized it hadn't changed at all. As he stared into the windows with his hands in his pockets, a familiar woman's voice brought him back from his memories.

"Hi, Will!"

He turned immediately and his eyes were gratified with the appearance of none other than Emma Pillsbury. She looked surprised but happy to see him, and he couldn't deny he was more than happy to see her. She looked beautiful, dressed down a little bit from work, her hair loose and curly, blowing slightly in the wind. She was wearing a long emerald green coat and dark jeans, and her cheeks were rosy from the cold.

"Emma! Hi! It's good to see you," Will replied with a grin.

"So what brings you out here tonight?" She returned his grin.

"Oh, you know. Just reminiscing about childhood. I used to go to this place all the time when I was a kid." He gestured to the ice cream shop they were standing in front of. "Do you… want some ice cream?"

"Um… sure," Emma smiled. They went inside and ordered their ice cream, sitting at a small table next to a window.

"So did you grow up here?" she inquired curiously.

"Yeah, I lived here my entire childhood. I moved to California for college, which was where I met my wife, and…" his voice trailed off at the mention of his wife. Emma was more than curious about Will's wife, whether she had passed away, or just divorced, but Will always seemed to shy away from the subject whenever it was brought up. She decided to let it be, aware that Will didn't want to talk about it, and mollified by the knowledge that "there was no Mrs. Schuester."

Will and Emma talked for what seemed like hours, long after the ice cream had disappeared into their stomachs. Emma was usually a very quiet person, but she found Will easy to talk to, and they carried a conversation for a long time, talking about the most random things. Will found out that Emma had always wanted to be a schoolteacher, this was her eighth year of teaching, and that she loved shopping. Emma found out that Will was addicted to coffee, had changed careers many times, and had always wanted a dog. They talked about Jacob, too.

"How's he doing in class?" Will was concerned about his son. "I know he's sort of a weird kid, I just don't want him to be an outcast, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. He definitely seems more mature than most of the other kids, but he seems to be doing just fine. He's made a couple friends, and he's very active in class. He's extremely bright, too." Jacob was actually one of Emma's favorite students; he was so sweet and caring. He was the first fifth grader in all her years of teaching to ask her how her weekend was.

"He loves you, though," Will said with a smile. "He won't stop going on about how amazing you are."

Emma blushed.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about. You don't seem too amazing to me," Will teased her, evoking a giggle and a gentle whack on the arm. Will chuckled along with her.

"I'm kidding, you know I'm kidding." Then his tone turned more serious. "You actually seem just as amazing as Jacob says, and more." His mouth was still smiling, but his amber eyes were serious. "I really don't see how you can be single."

Emma's mouth opened slightly and a blush crept across her cheeks for the second time that night. She smiled shyly, unsure of what to say next, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

They stared at each other from across the table for a few seconds, lost in the moment, until Will broke the silence.

"Wow, it's late. I um… I need to pick Jacob up from soccer practice!"

"Oh… yeah, I should get going too." Emma gathered up her purse and coat.

"Do you… want a ride to your car?"

"Oh, no, I actually just walked over here. I don't live too far. Just over on Jeffrey."

Will raised his eyebrows. "That's pretty far. And it's late. It's not safe for a woman to be walking the streets of Lima alone at night." His mouth twitched and Emma giggled softly. Lima was the safest town they had both ever been in, with a crime rate close to zero.

"Let me give you a ride home. It's really no problem. We pass Jeffrey on our way home," Will offered. Emma gratefully agreed, and they got in the car.

"I just need to pick up Jake from practice, and then it's off to home," Will informed her.

When they reached the field where Jacob was practicing, they both immediately spotted the small boy sitting on the curb, his chin resting in his hands. As soon as the car pulled up next to him, he climbed into the backseat with a huge smile.

"Hi Dad!" he said excitedly. "Guess what? At practice, we played a scrimmage. And I scored!"

"That's great, Jacob! I'm proud of you," Will said with a smile.

"Hi, Jacob!" Emma turned around in the front seat to greet her student. Jacob immediately turned shy when he realized his teacher was in the car sitting next to his father. He gave a confused smile and said, "Miss Pillsbury? What are you doing here?"

"I ran into Miss Pillsbury out in the town, and we ended up talking for a little bit. We're just gonna give her a ride home, is that okay?" Will said.

Jacob nodded. "Yes, that's okay, I'll just cover my eyes when we get to her house. Students aren't supposed to see where their teachers live."

Will and Emma smiled at each other and held back laughter at Jacob's cuteness. The car ride to Emma's house was a bit awkward; Jacob sat quietly in the back seat, not really sure what to say, and Will and Emma carried on conversation it had never stopped.

"Alright you're almost there… a couple houses down… it's the one with the blue Toyota in the driveway. Yeah, this one." Emma directed Will as he slowly pulled up to her house. It was a cute little house, small but cheery looking. Emma unbuckled her seat belt and turned around to say goodbye to Jacob, only to find that he was squeezing his eyes shut.

"Jacob, you can open your eyes. I don't mind if you see where I live," she chuckled. Slowly, hesitantly, he opened his eyes and looked out the window to her house.

"Oh. It's nice. I like it, Miss P," Jacob commented with a smile.

"Well, thank you," Emma replied, grinning.

Will got out of the car to open the passenger door for Emma, helping her out of the car. Once out of the car, Emma shut the door behind her and turned to face Will.

"I would uh… I would ask you to come in, but I don't think that's appropriate… you know, with Jacob here and everything…" she mumbled, her cheeks turning pink.

"I understand," Will said, smiling. "Hey, I had a lot of fun tonight. It was actually really nice talking to you."

Emma's face lit up at the compliment. "Yeah, we should… we should do it again sometime."

Will nodded, "Definitely. Okay well, I'll see you around?"

"See you around." Emma smiled. "Oh and, thanks for the ride, Will."

"Of course," Will replied. "Can't let you wander around in these dangerous streets." Emma giggled and walked up to her front door, waving goodbye to her student and new friend. She really had had a great time. It had been a while since a guy had treated her that nicely.

_God, why does he have to be my student's dad?_ She thought bitterly as she walked inside her house.

* * *

**PLEASE review! Thanks lovelies!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Aren't you guys proud of me that I've been so quick with the updates so far? ;)**

* * *

_Okay Will. You can do this, man. Just take a deep breath… and remember who you are. You are a strong dude. You got this._

Will sat inside his car, fighting an internal battle inside his head. He was parked in the school parking lot, sitting alone in the driver's seat of his car. He had dropped Jacob off early again, and he was off in the playground playing with his new friends before school started. Five days had passed since Will's little rendezvous with Emma at the ice cream parlor, and he knew he could not wait one more day to see her again. Besides, she _had_ said she wanted to spend more time with him, right?

On the other hand, it _was_ a little inappropriate for Will to be spending time with his son's teacher. But it was nothing. It's not like they were dating or anything. He just wanted to ask the gorgeous woman out to a friendly lunch or something. Friendly. As friends. That was it. Will nodded to himself, brushing away his doubts and getting out of the car.

As he walked over to Emma's classroom, he gradually quickened his pace, realizing that the kids would start going into the classroom soon. School was due to start in ten minutes. And the last thing he wanted was for his son to catch him getting friendly with his favorite teacher.

Finally, Will reached Emma's classroom and tugged the door open after knocking lightly. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Emma was at the front of the classroom, sitting at her desk with her back to him. Her shiny red hair was somewhat tousled, but still beautiful nonetheless.

"Hey, Emma," Will said brightly. "I just wanted to…"

His voice trailed off as Emma turned around in her chair and quickly stood up. Will's eyebrows arched in concern and his mouth hung slightly open as he saw Emma's face. She had been crying, that was for certain. Her eyes were puffy and glazed with tears, and her nose was almost as red as her hair. Her cheeks were blushed, too, but from emotion rather than make up.

As soon as she saw Will standing there, she put her hand on her forehead, trying to conceal the fact that she had been crying.

"Uhm… h-hi Will…" she mumbled.

"Emma… what's wrong? Are you okay?" Will was immediately by her side with a hand on her shoulder. "Why are you crying?"

Emma gave a disgruntled sigh as she realized how bad she must really look. She shook her head, licking her lips.

"It… it's silly, you'll think I'm silly…"

"Emma… no. I won't ever judge you. What happened?"

"It's just… my dog. He, um… he… passed away this morning." Her voice cracked at the last part of the sentence, and her face crumpled as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. Will wasted no time in pulling her into a strong embrace, rubbing her upper back gently, and murmuring words of consolation into her ear.

"I'm so sorry, Emma…"

She sighed in the warm hug, enjoying the feeling of comfort and strength that surrounded her. Then they both remembered who they were, and pulled away simultaneously.

"Um… I think you should take the day off," Will suggested gently.

"Oh, no, I… I can't do that, it's…"

Will silenced her with a finger to her lips. "I know you're very dedicated to your job, Emma, but you really need a personal health day. You can't teach in this state."

Emma wiped away a tear, realizing the truth in Will's words. She tilted her head and nodded slightly, begrudgingly agreeing.

"Oh… oh gosh, my students are going to come in soon," Emma said in a panicked voice, realizing school was supposed to start in two minutes. She couldn't let them see her all broken up like this. What would they think?

Will put his hands on Emma's shaking shoulders.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Calm down. I'll take care of everything, okay?" he reassured her. "I'll go down to the office and tell them you're not feeling well. You take these-" he handed her his dark sports sunglasses "-and walk over to my car. You know what it looks like, right?"

She nodded.

"Okay, well, I'm parked in the side lot, right next to the locker room. About four spots down from the front. You take my key and go in the car. No one will see you. I'll give you a ride back to your place, okay? You can't drive in your state. You can pick up your car later. Sound good?" His voice was confident and calm, and for some reason it soothed Emma quite a bit. She thought it over. It really was a smart plan.

"O-okay…" she sniffled quietly.

"Alright," Will confirmed. "Here are my keys." He handed over his keys to Emma and held the door open for her.

"Thank you, Will," she whispered as she walked toward the direction of his car. He smiled in response and walked the opposite direction, towards the office, after scribbling a quick note – _Students: Please come in and quietly sit down. Someone will be here shortly._ He stuck the note on the door and headed to the office to clear up Emma's absence and tell them to send a substitute.

After a short five minutes, Will arrived back at his car. Getting in the driver's side and closing the door, he noticed that Emma had calmed down quite a bit. She was sitting quietly in the passenger seat, looking down at her hands folded in her lap. Her face showed no trace of more tears, but sadness was etched onto her features.

"Emma… I'm so sorry for your loss," Will said softly, resting his hand gently on top of hers. She looked up at him with a small smile, silently thanking him for being so sensitive and sweet.

"It's okay," she said in a small voice.

Will removed his hand from hers and started up the car. The ride back to Emma's house was quiet, with the occasional sniffle coming from Emma. After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at Emma's place. Will parked the car on the curb and turned the engine off. Emma sighed quietly when she realized they had reached their destination. She wasn't ready to be alone yet. She had been reveling in the strong yet comforting presence that Will provided in the car, and she didn't want to be rid of it just yet. Will noticed her hesitation.

"Are… you gonna be okay?" he asked her. She looked at him with tear-filled, imploring eyes.

"Um… could… well, would you mind coming in for a little bit? I… I would really like the company…" she stammered in a quiet voice. Will was slightly surprised at the invitation, but he accepted without hesitation.

"Of course. I would love to keep you company, Emma."

They got out of the car and walked up to the front door side by side after Emma gave Will a grateful look. Emma stepped in front of Will to unlock the door, then opened it slowly, motioning Will inside after her.

They stepped inside the small house, and Will immediately felt comfortable in the cute home. The living room was painted sunny yellow, with floral furniture to match the happy feel of the room. Pictures of Emma with various people lined the walls, and a big window brought in happy sunlight to the already bright room. It smelled like vanilla and butterscotch, and Will smiled at the sensations.

"Um, so… you can… have a seat at the couch over there, if you want. Um… would you like anything to drink?" Emma's soft voice prompted Will to turn around and face her.

"I'm all right, thanks," Will replied, taking a seat on the flowery couch. Emma sat down beside him on the couch, smoothing her skirt out and clearing her throat to try to prevent more tears from escaping.

"So… do you want to talk about it?" Will asked gently. Emma thought about it. Did she want to talk about it? She wasn't sure.

"I… I don't know. And I shouldn't be this broken up about it, either. I've known for a few weeks that Scout was going to die, I just… I guess it just didn't really hit me until this morning when the plug was actually pulled." At the last part, Emma's voice went up an octave and her eyes became glassy again. Will scooted close to her and hesitantly put his arm around her.

"Hey – it's okay. The passing of a beloved pet is always hard," he said soothingly. Emma gladly snuggled up into Will's embrace, closing her eyes momentarily.

"God, I… I'm sorry," she said suddenly. "Here I am grumbling about my dog to a man I've only known for a few weeks. Feel free to call me a loser and run out of my house."

"I will _never_ do that, Emma," Will said seriously, staring into her big brown eyes. "Even though we haven't known each other that long, I consider you a really good friend. I like you, Emma. You make me… happy."

Emma looked back into his beautiful, honest eyes, and a warmth spread throughout her body. Why was this man so sweet? So gentle, and thoughtful, and perfect? She looked up at him shyly through her lashes, a small smile dancing on her lips.

All of a sudden, Will spotted a beautiful acoustic guitar standing in the corner of the room.

"May I…?" he motioned toward the guitar. Emma nodded, smiling, wiping her eyes. Will got up and picked up the guitar. It seemed to sizzle with energy in his hands, and he quickly put the strap over his shoulder and began to play.

_Little boy, six years old, a little too used to being alone.  
Another new mom and dad, another school, another house that'll never be home.  
When people ask him how he likes this place  
He looks up and says with a smile upon his face,_

_This is my temporary home. It's not where I belong  
Windows and rooms that I'm passing through  
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going  
I'm not afraid because I know  
This is my temporary home._

_Young mom, on her own, she needs a little help, got nowhere to go.  
She's looking for a job, looking for a way out  
Cause a halfway house will never be a home  
At night she whispers to her baby girl  
_'_Someday we'll find a place here in this world'_

_This is our temporary home, it's not where we belong  
Windows and rooms that we're passing through  
This is just a stop on the way to where we're going  
I'm not afraid because I know  
This is our temporary home._

As he sung, he watched Emma's face, which was a mixture of gratitude, sadness, hope, and – was he imagining it? – maybe even a little bit of love.

_Old man, hospital bed, the room is filled with people he loves  
And he whispers don't cry for me, I'll see you all someday  
He looks up and says, 'I can see God's face,'  
This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong  
Windows and rooms that I'm passing through  
This was just a stop on the way to where I'm going  
I'm not afraid because I know  
This was my Temporary Home._

Will played the last few notes on the guitar, and then the room was filled with only the sweet echo of the uplifting song. Emma's face was once again sparkling with tears, but this time they were different. This time, there was hope in them. When Will quietly took off the guitar strap and gently set it down on the floor, his eyes were shiny as well.

Emma sat there for a moment, entranced by the effect the song and Will's deep, beautiful singing voice had had on her. Then, before she knew it, she had closed the space between their bodies and she was kissing him, gently, sweetly, lovingly.

His eyes widened for a split second, then closed happily as he enjoyed the sweet taste that Emma's lips provided, and he kissed her back with an equal passion. One hand moved to her soft hair, caressing it, and the other moved to her lower back. Their lips molded perfectly together, and Will tasted a salty tear on his tongue, a tear filled with love and joy.

They pulled away from the kiss and Emma sighed, resting her head on Will's strong chest.

"I've wanted to do that from the moment I laid eyes on you," Emma admitted, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt.

"Me too…" Will breathed, still somewhat taken aback by what had just happened. He kept his hand on her back, rubbing it gently. "But Emma…"

"What?" she asked quickly, noticing the subtle change in his tone.

"It's just… I can't do this… I can't do this to Jacob."

Emma nodded, understanding.

"Yeah… I know. I… I'm sorry, Will."

"Friends?" He looked down at her with pain and regret entwined in his features.

"Friends," she agreed softly. But neither of them moved from the intimate position they were in, holding each other closely. Will continued to rub her back, and they sat there for a few moments, comfortable in each others arms, lost in thought.

"Will?"

"Hmm?"

"You have a beautiful singing voice…. It makes me want to cry."

Will smiled. "Thank you, Emma."

"Why don't you… make a career out of it? You could really be great. You're so talented." She searched his face, trying to understand. He sighed.

"It's extremely hard to be successful in that business. And… it's just a hobby. I don't want to make it into my job."

She nodded, absent-mindedly smoothing out a few wrinkles in his shirt.

"Yeah, I… I know what you mean."

And she did. Will could tell she did. She understood him, and he understood her. And they both cherished this rare mutual understanding that blossomed between the two of them.

They spent the rest of the day together, talking about everything. There was so much about each other that they were curious about, and conversation always flowed effortlessly. They eventually moved to the kitchen for lunch, making each other sandwiches and eating them at the counter with diet sodas.

When it was time for Will to leave to pick up Jacob, he lagged on the way out, not wanting to leave this precious day. Emma walked him out to his car, and when they got to the end of her driveway, she fell into his arms, giving him a long, warm hug.

"Thank you so much… for everything, Will," she breathed. "I'm so happy to have met you…"

"You're welcome," Will said, hugging her back.

When he finally drove away from Emma's place, he sighed sadly. Now that the two both knew about their true feelings and their potential together, it was so hard… and so confusing.

_Why does this have to happen to me? As if I haven't already got enough on my plate._ Will said to himself, frustrated.

* * *

**AN: A teeny bit of angst, but hey, angst is good right?**

**Thank you so much to all of my reviewers – I REALLY appreciate it. You guys are all so sweet. Also – to my (non)perverted anonymous reviewer, I have actually thought about changing the rating to M, for later chapters of course. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, the story stays at a T rating. **

**I'll update soon hopefully! Keep the reviews coming please! I love them!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I want to thank you all SO MUCH for your reviews. Seriously, each and every one of them make me feel all warm inside because you guys are so sweet! I really, really appreciate it.**

It was the next evening, and Emma was sitting at her favorite coffee shop with one of her best friends, Sarah. Even though 24 hours had passed since her impulsive kiss with Will, she was still feeling excited and confused about it. It was so hard for her to organize her multitude of emotions, so she was confiding in her friend.

"I… I mean, I like him. I know that. He's the sweetest guy I've ever met, and I just feel… alive… when I'm around him."

Sarah raised her eyebrows suggestively. "So date him! He sounds perfect. He's cute, right?"

"He's more than cute," Emma sighed. "But… I can't date him."

"Why not? _Please _don't tell me you're still not over Steve. Come on, he was a douche. You know that."

"What? No! No, no _way_. That's definitely not it." Emma rolled her eyes. "Steve is… way gone."

"Then what is it?" Sarah was confused. "What's holding you back?"

"He's my student's dad…" she admitted, biting her lip. Sarah looked at her friend in disbelief.

"That's it? Emma, that is so not even a big deal."

"No, no, it is a big deal," Emma said, shaking her head. She should have known her friend wouldn't understand. "It's not… appropriate. It's unfair to Jacob, and it's unfair to the rest of the students as well. And if my boss found out, well… I think I could be fired."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, if you _really_ like this guy… nothing would hold you back. Just saying."

Emma bit her lip, mulling over what her friend was telling her. She was so conflicted… would she ever find the answer?

"Well…" Sarah drained the last of her iced mocha and stood up. "I have to get back to work. Duty calls…" Sarah was an investigator; she rooted out criminals. It was a dangerous but honorable job, and Emma respected her exponentially for it. She stood up to give her friend a hug.

"Thanks for the advice," she said honestly.

"Anytime, babe. See you later!" Sarah responded, then tossed her coffee cup in the trash can and walked out of the small coffee shop.

* * *

"You have big feet," Emma said, giggling.

"What? No way. Yours are way bigger. Look, you can't even lace up your skates."

"That's because these laces are all knotted and confusing!"

Will laughed and nudged her. "Kidding."

The two were at the Lima skating rink. It was Saturday morning, and Jacob was at his friend's house for the day. Will had taken advantage of his time alone and had asked Emma to accompany him ice skating. She had reluctantly agreed, knowing that she was no good at ice skating.

Sitting at a bench, tying the laces on their cheaply-rented ice skates, Emma was still feeling a little nervous. She had terrible balance, and she hadn't gone ice skating in at least ten years. But like always, Will's comforting presence made her feel at ease, and she knew he wouldn't let any harm come her way.

Will finished putting his skates on and stood up expertly, watching the awkward redhead fumble with her laces. He smiled at the sight. She was so adorable in her fuzzy dark blue sweater and skinny jeans. She was wearing a subtle touch of dark blue eye shadow to match the sweater, and it made her eyes look even more beautiful than they already did. Not many redheads can pull off blue eye shadow, but Emma managed to make it look magical and sexy at the same time.

"Well? Are you just gonna stand there and laugh at me, or are you gonna help me put these on?" Emma crossed her arms, a smiling playing out on her lips, teasing Will relentlessly. Will chuckled and bent down, unknotting the laces and tying up her skates for her.

As soon as they stepped onto the ice, Emma grabbed onto Will's strong arm, teetering on the thin skates. Her other arm flailed a little in the air as she tried to keep her balance on the cool ice.

"Oh… gosh," she muttered, covering her face with her hands. "I'm so bad at this."

Will grinned and put his hands on her shoulders.

"You got this. Just move your legs a little, okay? I won't let you fall."

Emma took a deep breath and slowly moved her right leg the tiniest bit. Her thin legs shook and tottered, but she did not fall and her body actually moved a couple inches forward. She looked back at Will with a delighted smile on her face, then her brows furrowed.

"Hey, you were pushing me, weren't you?"

Will put his hands up in the air. "No, no, I promise I wasn't. That was all you, Em!"

Emma smiled at the nickname. Then, all of a sudden, an experienced skater whizzed past her and she teetered a little, her arms flying up in the air, trying to regain her balance. Seeing that she was about to fall, Will dove toward her, trying to prevent her from falling. Instead, he just fell along with her, grabbing her waist with his arms and breaking her fall with his strong body.

Emma gasped and gave a little shriek as they hit the hard ice together, arms wrapped around each other.

"Oh… Jesus…" Will moaned, laughing. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine!" Emma was cracking up as well. "Are you?" He nodded, unable to stop laughing. He pulled himself up to a sitting position, looking down at her with a huge smile. She was lying flat on the ice, her soft red locks spread out beneath her head, her nose and cheeks slightly pink from the chilly air.

She looked up at him, big goofy smile across his face, messy curls flopping over one eye, cheeks reddened as well. Their laughter slowly died down and they just smiled at each other, still breathing hard from the fall. He was looking down at her, his eyes sparkling and bright, and she stared at his lips, those red, luscious lips that he was licking right at the moment. He leaned subtly closer to her, and her eyes followed his lips, willing them to fall directly onto hers.

After a few moments, Will blinked and helped himself up to a standing position. He reached his hand down and Emma took it, giving him a small smile. He helped her up, and their hands didn't part as he began to help her skate again.

"Come on… it's not that hard. You got it. There you go!" Will exclaimed as she began to move her legs faster and push herself forward. She didn't let go of his warm hand as they began to move at a faster pace together, moving their legs in unison. Emma laughed happily as she enjoyed the feeling of gliding across the smooth surface and the gentle wind blowing through her hair.

"I'm doing it, Will! I'm really doing it!" she shouted for the whole world to hear, and he let go of her hand and began to clap with joy, watching her have so much fun. Upon letting go of Will's hand, Emma got a sudden burst of confidence and threw her hands up in the air, gliding on just one foot.

Will watched her, grinning, for a few seconds, before she finally lost her balance and crumpled to the floor. He quickly skated up to her, crouching down to make sure she was okay. She turned to look at him, laughter in her eyes and a sheepish smile on her lips.

"Did you see me? I skated alone for like 5 seconds!"

Will chuckled and nodded. "You're amazing," he said simply. Without wasting another second, he leaned down and captured her lips with his. She responded immediately, supporting her body with her hands on the cool ice, and eventually bringing them to the back of Will's head.

Finally, Emma pulled away and rested her head on the wall of the ice rink, sighing happily, her eyes never leaving Will's. She licked her lips, tasting Will's wonderful taste lingering on her lips.

Will looked at her gorgeous brown eyes and brought his hand up to her face to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled and brought her head to rest on his broad shoulder. Her hand snaked over to his and held it. They sat there quietly, cherishing the moment, brushing away their worries.

After about an hour more of ice skating, they finally had to admit defeat and hang up the skates. They drove back to Will's house, still having about an hour to spare until Will had to pick up Jacob from his friend's house.

They sat in the backyard, basking in the warm sun.

"My feet have never been this sore," Will complained. "Those damn skates."

Emma silently laughed at him, although she had to agree that the cheap ice skates had pinched her toes to no end, and they were throbbing like no other.

"Do you wanna dip your feet in the pool?" Will offered.

"Um…" Emma stuttered. She didn't like taking off her shoes in public; the thought of her bare feet on the ground that everyone's shoes touched repulsed her. But Will's soft eyes and encouraging voice made her reluctantly agree.

"Are you sure? We don't have to…" Will could see the alarm in Emma's eyes.

"No, no, it's fine, I'm just… weird," Emma finished lamely, shrugging and smiling sheepishly. Will couldn't tell exactly what was bothering Emma, but she seemed okay so he brushed it off and the smile returned to his face. He wasted no time in stripping off his shoes and socks and plunging his feet into the cool water.

Emma was much slower and more thorough about it, folding her socks neatly on top of her shoes and putting them on a chair. Then she slowly dipped her big toe in the water, deemed it okay, and sat down at the edge of the pool, letting her feet dangle in the gently lapping water.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Will said as he saw Emma's face relax with pleasure. She nodded, smiling and swished her feet around in the water, making miniscule waves in the peaceful pool.

"You're lucky to have gotten a house with a pool," she commented.

"I know," he agreed. "We got really lucky. The house opened up for rent right as we were planning to move out of California. And it's not much, but… well, at least there's a roof over our heads and a nice pool."

There were a few seconds of comfortable silence and all that could be heard was the soft splash of the water against their sore ankles.

"So… what are we gonna do about Jacob?" Emma brought up the subject tentatively.

"What about him?" Will didn't want to face the facts.

"You know what, Will. It's not exactly normal for a kid's teacher to be involved with his dad."

Will sighed, nodding. "Well… what do you want to do?"

"I think you need to tell him. He'll probably be fine with it. He's a very mature kid, Will."

"I know…" Will said softly.

Another quiet couple of minutes passed by, and they changed the subject, talking about Will's recent successful job interview.

"I think I'm gonna take it," Will announced proudly.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you," Emma squealed, leaning in for a hug. As she moved her arm, she accidentally batted her sunglasses into the water. They floated out into the middle of the pool, not quite out of Emma's reach.

"Oh, darn…" she muttered, and stretched her arm out to try to reach the glasses. They kept floating further and further and Emma was stretching her arm out as much as she could.

"Will? A little help here?" she panted, her arm stretched out as far as it could go. He looked at her cute stretching body, and tried to suppress a giggle.

"Okay," he agreed, and lightly pushed on her backside, making her lose friction with the concrete and fall ungracefully into the cool water with a cute little yelp. When she surfaced for air, he was laughing harder than ever, covering his mouth with his hands.

"Will Schuester!" she reprimanded angrily, trying to hide the smile that was forming on her lips. "I can't believe you!"

He was still laughing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just couldn't stop myself!"

"Alright, just help me up," she grumbled, reaching her hand out. He took her small hand in his, but before he could pull her up, she was pulling down on his hand, making him slide off the concrete and join her in the refreshing water.

"You little minx!" He said in disbelief, still laughing. "Who knew you had it in you?"

She was cracking up, swimming as fast as she could to the other side of the pool. He swam after her, trying to catch her.

"There is no way you are going to get away with this, Emma!"

Finally, he caught up to her and grabbed her around the middle, evoking a loud squeal out of her along with more loud laughter. He held her bridal style under the water, shaking his head at the giggling redhead.

"No… Will, let me go!" She protested half-heartedly, secretly loving the way he was carrying her. She reached her arm out and splashed some water into his face, making him splutter and immediately let go of her.

She cracked up all over again as they began to splash each other, acting like immature little kids, worrying about nothing and no one, and enjoying the refreshing water on a warm day.


	5. Chapter 5

Will and Emma climbed out of the pool, dripping wet and laughing like kids. Their clothes clung to their sopping wet bodies and their hair was soaked through.

"Oh god, Will, that was fun," Emma admitted, still giggling. "I haven't had fun like that in a long time." She ran her fingers through her wet hair, shaking her head a little bit to try to get it to dry a little.

"Me too," Will admitted with a smile, wringing some water out of his sopping T-shirt. He looked up at the beautiful ginger and tried not to stare at her soaking wet white shirt. The thin material was sticking to her skin in a way that made Will's whole body tingle. He peeled his eyes away from the two small dots showing through her wet shirt, hoping she hadn't noticed him staring.

She blushed profusely, noticing his interested gaze, and involuntarily shivered. It was getting late, and the sun was slowly going down along with their joyous, carefree day.

"Here, let me get you a towel," Will said quickly, noticing Emma's subtle shiver. He went inside the house and came back out with a fluffy blue towel. He wrapped it around her, hugging his body around her as well.

"Warmer?"

"Yes," she nodded shyly. "Thanks, Will."

He got her one of his big T-shirts and a pair of boxer shorts to change into and showed her to the bathroom.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "I know it's not ideal, but I don't really have a lot of women's clothing around here."

"It's perfect," she smiled, shutting the bathroom door gently. While she got dressed, Will changed into dry clothes as well. When he was finished, he went to the kitchen to make some hot coffee.

A few minutes later, Emma emerged from the bathroom in Will's oversized clothing, her cheeks slightly pink and her hair tousled and damp. She was carrying her wet clothes in a plastic bag. Will immediately turned to look at her, smiling at the sight.

"I look ridiculous," she said, hiding her face.

"You look adorable," Will corrected her, running his hand along her slightly mussed locks. They sat at the kitchen table and had coffee until it was time for Will to pick up Jacob. He drove Emma home first, and when they reached her house, she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned towards Will.

"I had a really fun time today, Will," she said sincerely.

"Me too," he answered with a grin.

"And um…" she seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "Just… don't forget to tell Jacob, okay? About… us. You know how important it is."

He nodded, looking down.

"If you need me… for anything… you know you can always just call me." She finished.

"I know," he said, turning to face her. She leaned over and kissed him gently, a sweet kiss on the lips that made Will smile.

"I'll see you later."

"See you later."

* * *

The ride home after picking up Jacob had an excited atmosphere to it, mostly (well, all) due to Jacob's incessant chattering about his fun day with his friend. They had gone to a small amusement park, and Jacob had had a great time. His excited little voice brought a smile to Will's face.

"I'm so glad you had fun today, buddy. It sounds awesome."

"It _was_ awesome, Dad! I wish you were there with me!"

"And I'm so happy that you're making friends, Jake." Will put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Me too, Dad." Jacob smiled up at his father. "So… what did you do today?"

Will winced a little at the question, he wasn't expecting it so soon. He took a deep breath and kept his eyes focused on the road. He withdrew his hand from Jacob's shoulder and rested it on the wheel.

"Um… I…"

"Dad? Is… everything okay?"

"Yeah, yes, of course, I'm fine, I just… I couldn't really remember what I had done today. But uh… now I remember."

Jacob looked at his dad expectantly. "And?"

"And… I spent the day… I spent the day with…"

Jacob raised his little eyebrow, wondering why his dad was acting so weird.

"….with myself, running some errands and doing some stuff I needed to do." He finished hastily, avoiding eye contact with his son.

It was the first time he had ever lied to his son.

That night, Will was doing the dishes after dinner, thinking about his day. He had to tell Jacob. He couldn't lie to him. That was just wrong. He had to make things right. He finished up the dishes and went into Jacob's room. Jacob was sitting on his bed, playing with his model airplanes. He looked up when Will walked in.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey buddy. Whatcha doing?" he sat down on the bed next to Jacob.

"Just playing with my planes. Want to join?"

"No thanks. Actually, it's about time for bed, don't you think?"

Jacob groaned good-naturedly, but put his planes away without complaining and got under the covers.

"Jake, there's… there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it? Did I do something?" Jacob looked worried.

"No, no, of course not."

Will could see Jacob visibly relax and continue to look interested. "Then what is it, Dad?"

"You know Miss Pillsbury?" Jacob nodded, his eyes lighting up at the sound of her name. "Well, I've been talking to her lately, and…"

He paused for a second, second-guessing himself.

"…and she tells me you are doing great in class. So I just want to say good job, buddy."

Jacob grinned. "Really? She said that about me?"

"Yep…" Will nodded, tight-lipped, lines appearing on his forehead.

"Wow." Jacob smiled. "She's the greatest."

"I know," Will agreed, unsmiling.

After he tucked Jacob in, Will went to his bedroom, mentally hitting himself on the head. _You are such a coward. You can't even tell the truth to your own son_, he said to himself angrily. He got in bed and sat cross-legged, burying his face in his hands.

_I'll tell him tomorrow,_ he told himself, running his hands through his curly hair.

The next day, Will dropped Jacob off at school early again, who loved going early so that he could play with his newfound friends on the playground. Will, on the other hand, had other plans in mind.

Walking the familiar route from the parking lot to Emma's classroom, he knocked lightly on the heavy door before poking his head around the door.

"Hey Em." He said with a smile.

"Will!" She looked up from her desk with a huge grin and walked quickly over to him. He stepped inside the classroom and closed the door behind him, before falling easily into Emma's sweet embrace.

"It's good to see your face," she said with a smile. "Your cute, puppy dog face." Her voice changed to a mocking tone and she tweaked his nose cutely. He smiled, but Emma could sense hesitation in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.

"I didn't tell Jacob about us," he sighed. "I _couldn't_. I tried twice."

Emma's smile faded and she sighed as well. "When are you gonna tell him, Will?"

"Soon. I just… need to find the right time."

"It's not that hard Will. Just explain everything to him. He'll understand."

"But what if he doesn't."

The silence was deafening. Both of them considered that option, but Emma quickly brushed it away with a shake of her head.

"He will," she said firmly. "And you've got to do it soon. You can't be sneaking around behind his back. I would tell him myself, Will, but… it's not really my place."

"No, no, it's fine. I'll tell him. It'll all work out." He smiled unconvincingly at Emma, tucking her hair behind her ear. "By the way, you look beautiful today," he said with a wink as he started towards the door.

She blushed and smiled shyly back at him. "Bye, Will."

"Bye, Emma."

* * *

Weeks passed, and Will could not bring himself to tell his son about his relationship with Emma. He attempted to, multiple times, but each time he chickened out and ended up changing the subject. He kept telling himself he was waiting for "the right time," but he knew deep down that it was just his way of making up excuses.

It wasn't just the possibility that Jacob might not like that his father was in love with his teacher. There was something else, too. Something else holding Will back, making him scared to admit the truth to his own son. And it had everything to do with Jacob's mother.

Will's new job was not very rigorous, for now, so he didn't have to work long hours. It had become almost a daily ritual for Will to drop Jacob off early at school, then head over to Emma's classroom and talk to her while the kids played on the playground. He loved spending that time with her, whether it be twenty minutes or five. Sometimes he would help her grade some papers or plan some lessons, but usually they would just talk about anything and everything. The two never ran out of things to talk about.

They never got together again outside of those precious minutes before school, and both of them knew the reason why. After the first few days, Emma stopped asking Will if he had spilled the beans to Jacob yet, figuring he would tell her when he did. And Emma was becoming fed up. She knew it was wrong to go behind her student's back, but the truth was, she loved every minute spent with Will. She craved his wise advice, his boyish voice, his warm hugs.

But Emma knew she was being selfish. She needed to make things right. Many weeks had passed, and she was feeling guiltier with each passing day. The next day, when Will came into Emma's classroom with that adorable grin and cute little wave, Emma barely batted an eyelash. Will could immediately sense that something was up.

"Everything okay?" He came over to her, running his hand down her thin arm and landing at her small hand, holding it gently. She uncomfortably withdrew her hand and awkwardly scratched her arm.

"No, it's not, Will." Her voice was quiet as she looked up into Will's amber eyes. "You promised me you would tell Jacob about us. It's been almost two months."

Will sighed and sat on top of the front desk, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "I know, I know, I'm sorry, I just…"

"Will, don't apologize to me," Emma interrupted. It came out harsher than she had intended. "Apologize to your son. He's the one who's in the dark about all this."

"Emma, you don't understand. It's so much harder than it seems, it…"

"I understand perfectly well, Will." She interrupted him for the second time. "Have you forgotten that I'm a fifth grade teacher? I spend half of my time with kids, I know what it's like, Will."

"I know, Emma, that's not what I meant. There's… there's something else that I-"

"Will, stop it! Enough with the excuses, okay? I don't want to hear it! I just… I honestly cannot believe how you can let yourself be with me while you're lying to your son."

Will sat there, slightly surprised by Emma's firmness and audacity, not really sure what else to say. She was right, of course.

Emma saw the hurt in Will's eyes and tried to ignore it. "Look, Will I want to be with you. I… I really, really like you. But… this can't go on."

She turned around and straightened some papers out on her desk, her back to him.

"I don't want you to come see me in the mornings anymore." Her voice was firm, although it showed signs of wanting to crack. "If you want to tell Jacob the truth, then give me a call."

Will had dejection written all over his face. He didn't want it to be this way, not at all, but he knew Emma was right. She was being so selfless, and he just wanted to grab her and hug her tightly from behind. But instead, he slowly stood up and left the classroom without another word.

Emma let the papers that she was shuffling in her hands fall to the ground, and she gave a little groan of frustration. Wiping away a tear, she reorganized her desk, smoothed out her hair, and waited for her students to come into the classroom.

* * *

**Sorry, angst, but it had to be done! Please review! 3**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I'm _so_ sorry this took so long, I've been out of town for a couple days and I didn't have computer access. Thanks so much for waiting and to make up for it, I will be posting Chapter 7 very soon! **

* * *

Mornings were hard for Will now that he was not allowed to spend them with Emma. It was torturous, almost, to have to drop off Jacob at school and know that Emma was less than a hundred yards away. He imagined her petite body sitting at her desk, bent over some tests, diligently grading them, and wanted so badly to sit down and help her, just be near her and breathe her wonderful scent. But he had to respect Emma's wishes. So he stayed away.

It was just as hard, if not harder, for Emma. She found herself arriving to school later and later each day, so that she would not have to spend as much time alone in the classroom. The room seemed so cold and empty in the mornings without her smiling friend to cheer it up. She missed him so much, after even just a week, but she knew she had done the right thing.

What killed her most was not knowing. Not knowing what was going on inside Will's mind, why he was so reluctant, so scared to tell his son about their relationship. She had a feeling his reluctance went deeper than the teacher-parent-student triangle. Every day she waited for his call to announce that he had confided in his son and that everything was going to turn out perfectly, but it never came. And Emma was starting to give up hope.

Maybe this is for the better, Will thought to himself as he went about with his every day life. His life that had, recently, become monotonous and boring. Although his work had of late gotten a little more rigorous, it was still bleak and gray compared to the possibilities of life with… well, he tried not to think about it.

And at the end of the week, a long, drawn-out week, Will could not take it any longer. He longed to see Emma's smiling face, hear her sweet voice in his ear. He resolved to fix this once and for all.

So that he couldn't chicken out this time, Will decided to call Emma. He slowly dialed her number and brought the phone to his ear, swallowing nervously. He paced back and forth in his small bedroom as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Will smiled immediately at the sound of Emma's high, chipper voice through the speaker.

"Emma." His voice was warm and longing, with more meaning behind the pronunciation of her name than anything else.

"Hi, Will," she breathed in anticipation.

"Hi." He just listened to her breathing for a few seconds, cherishing the sound of it. "Emma, I've come to a realization." He was surer of it with every passing second on the phone with her. "My life sucks without you. I miss you like crazy, and I can't bear the thought of you disappointed in me like you are right now."

She listened attentively, wanting to cry at his beautiful words but still hesitant.

"Will, did you….?"

"No," he admitted. "No, not yet, but I'm gonna do it right now. Right now, when I hang up with you, okay?"

She breathed out through her nose. "And this is different from all the other times because…?"

"Because I want you to come over. Come over in half an hour and we can talk about it all together. Okay? I'm going to break it to him first before you come, but we can talk it over together."

"O-okay…" she said quietly, still not completely sure if she believed that he would go through with it. She hung up the phone and brought it to her chin as if in prayer.

Will snapped the phone shut and tossed it onto his bed. He quickly went into the living room where Jacob was watching TV.

"Hey Jake." He plopped down on the couch next to his son and ruffled his hair. "Listen, I have something I need to tell you."

Jacob looked up at his father, interested, and reached for the remote to turn off the television. "Okay, Dad. What is it?"

"I… I haven't been completely honest with you…"

Jacob's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Okay," he sighed. "Remember the first day of school when I picked you up? And you couldn't stop talking about Miss Pillsbury and how you were so in love with her?"

Jacob grinned sheepishly and he giggled, embarrassed. "Yes, I remember that," he said, smiling. "Why?"

"Well…" Will ran his hand through his curly hair and forced himself to look his son in the eyes. "I sort of feel the same way."

Jacob would have laughed, but his dad's serious tone and pleading eyes told him not to.

"What… what do you mean, Dad? Like… you want to marry her?"

Will chuckled softly. "Not quite, bud. I've only known her a few months. But… I do really like her. And… we've been sort of dating. For a little while, now."

"Wow." Jacob's eyes widened and he took a deep breath as he absorbed this new information.

"So um… we both decided to stop seeing each other until we told you," Will said, putting his hand on Jacob's small shoulder. "So… what do you think?"

"Um…" Will could see everything processing in Jacob's mind. "I… I don't know. This is kinda weird. So you have a crush on my teacher… and she likes you back…" His brow furrowed again as he tried to figure it all out. "…right? She likes you back?"

Will nodded, smiling. "Well… at least I think so."

"Well, Daddy, she's very pretty. And she's the nicest teacher I've ever had. I can see why you like her." Will smiled and let out a small sigh of relief.

"But…" Jacob continued. "What about Mom?"

Will opened his mouth, but no words came out. He took a breath and scratched his abundant curls, trying to word his reply carefully.

"Um… wh-what about her?" he said hesitantly.

Jacob shrugged.

"Jacob, your mother is… gone from our lives, okay? I… I'm not… associated with her anymore. Do you understand? But… I've told you before that if you do want to see her sometimes…"

"I don't," Jacob interrupted, his clear blue eyes firm and honest.

Will nodded. "Just making sure. You know you have the option."

Emma sat in her car, parked on the curb outside of Will's house. She looked down at her watch. It had been exactly 30 minutes since Will's sudden phone call. Her whole body was tingling with anticipation and she wanted so badly to go up to the door and see the man who she had missed, but she wanted to make sure Will had had enough time to talk to his son.

So she waited another few minutes. Turning off the engine and the headlights, Emma took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Had Will really confessed to Jacob? Or did he back out on his plan again? She had no way of knowing. And there was only one way to find out.

Swallowing nervously, Emma smoothed her skirt out and got out of the car, shutting the car door quietly behind her. She walked slowly up to the front door, irritated by the clopping sound her heels made on the hard pavement. When she reached the house, she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Will, standing there with a smile on his face. Upon seeing this lovely sight, Emma couldn't hold back a grin just as huge as his.

"Will," she breathed, almost in disbelief, and was about to run into his strong arms, but her eye caught movement behind Will. Jacob moved out from behind his father, seeming small and skinny next to his strong dad. His knowing smile confirmed that Will had indeed told him, and Emma's smile grew even bigger.

"Hi Miss Pillsbury," Jacob said shyly.

"Come on in, Emma," Will said with a smile, opening the door wider and motioning her inside.

They sat comfortably in the living room, Will and Emma on the small couch and Jacob in the armchair. The sexual tension between the two sitting on the couch was undeniable; they hadn't seen each other in over a week and they were both longing to share a passionate kiss, a warm embrace, but with Jacob there they had to settle for just being

close, their knees touching, Emma's small hand resting subtly on top of Will's.

"My dad told me about you guys," Jacob said to his teacher. His voice was soft and Emma couldn't tell how he felt about it.

"Oh... um, that's... that's great. Um... what do you think?"

"I'm... happy," Jacob said, smiling shyly. "I want my dad to be happy, and you make him happy."

"Oh Jacob..." Emma wanted to cry, or laugh, or hug him, she didn't even know. "But... you know... I'm still your teacher. And the year isn't even halfway over. So um, I want you to know that I won't be treating you any differently than the other kids in class, okay?

And... I think it would be best if we kept this... on the down low."

Jacob nodded, understanding. "Okay."

Emma squeezed Will's hand gently. After that, it was a bit awkward. When Emma announced that she had to get going, Will stood up.

"I'll walk you out," he said immediately, desperate for some time alone with her. "I'll be right back, Jacob."

They went outside, and as soon as they closed the front door behind them, they linked hands. They walked down the pathway to Emma's car as slowly as possible, cherishing each other's presence.

"I'm proud of you, Will," Emma said, looking up at him.

"Thanks," he smiled back at her. "Me too."

"He's such a good kid," Emma commented, shaking her head. "If only all my students could be like him..." They both chuckled.

They reached Emma's small blue car and turned to face each other, hands still connected. Will leaned his face toward Emma's, breathing softly. He put his hand lightly on her cheek, stroking it softly.

"Guess what." His voice was like velvet, his breath warm on her lips.

"What?"

"I love you."

Emma looked up at him, eternal love written all over her big brown eyes. She reached up and closed the space between their lips, kissing him sweetly and lovingly. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his found themselves wrapped around her small waist, his hands joining together behind her lower back.

Jacob closed the curtain to his bedroom window, giving them the privacy they deserved. He went over to his bed, kneeling down to pray like he did every night. Tonight, his mind was pretty full. He still felt a little weird about what he had just learned, but seeing them so happy together outside brought a smile to Jacob's face.

_Dear God_, he prayed_. I just found out that my dad likes my teacher, Miss Pillsbury. Like... like likes her. And she likes him back. I think they're boyfriend and girlfriend, or something. I... I'm not sure how I feel about it, God. It's kinda weird, since she's my teacher. But I kinda like it, cause I really like Miss Pillsbury. And Daddy hasn't been this happy in a long time_. He paused and took a deep breath.

_I know I pray for my mom to get better every night. To get nicer and not... crazy. But... I don't think that's happening, God. And I know if it was meant to happen, you would make it happen. So I'm not going to pray for that anymore. And I don't want to see her anymore as long as she's like she is now. But... who knows, maybe Miss Pillsbury can be my new mom._ Jacob smiled at the thought.

Will sat on the floor in the hallway, listening to his son pray. A small smile danced on his lips as he listened to his son's boyish yet sweet words. He heard Jacob finish up quietly, then the squeak of the mattress as Jacob plopped into bed. After a few minutes, Will stood up and walked into the room.

Jacob's eyes were closed peacefully, but as Will approached the bed, his eyes opened and he smiled at his father.

"Night, buddy," Will said, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead.

"Night, Dad. Love you," he replied.

"Love you too." Will smiled and stood up, tucking the covers up to Jacob's chin, evoking giggles.

"See you in the morning." Will walked towards the door of the bedroom, stopping at the doorway. "Thanks... for today." He looked lovingly at his smiling son for a few seconds, then left the room and went into his own.

Upon entering his small bedroom, Will pulled off his jeans and slipped on an old T-shirt. He slid into bed and sat up in bed, his back resting against the pillows. The last thing Will wanted to do was put a damper on the wonderful evening, but he knew it had to be done.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand next to his bed and pressed the home button to make it light up. Taking a deep breath, he dialed a number and held the phone gingerly to his ear as if it were a bomb about to explode.

"Wiiiilllll? Is it really you?" A shrill, slightly slurred woman's voice came blaring through the phone.

"Hi, Terri..." he replied, rolling his eyes.

"What could you possibly be calling me for, Will? Missing the sex? You want some of it? Huh? Jacob misses me, right?"

"Definitely not, Terri, it's none of that." Will made a face. "I do _not_ need you back in my life, and neither does Jacob."

"Well then why the hell are you calling me?"

"I want an official divorce."

"I told you, I'm not signing those papers, Will. You're mine as long as I can keep it that way."

"Terri, you can't do this! You're hurting me, and you're hurting Jacob! Let us move on with our lives!" His voice raised slightly out of anger and frustration, and he had to remind himself that Jacob was sleeping in the next room.

There was a small pause and Will could hear Terri's heavy breathing through the phone as she thought about what Will had said.

"Fine."

"Really?"

"Don't make me change my mind, Will!" she snapped. Will silently punched his fist through the air in triumph.

"I'm coming to Ohio soon to visit some friends, so we'll meet up then." she continued acidly.

"Sounds perfect Terri, thank you so much."

"Whatever." She hung up abruptly. Will slid down under the covers with a sigh of relief, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. Maybe he wouldn't have to tell Emma about Terri after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Sorry, it's a bit shorter than usual.**

* * *

Will and Emma were snuggled together on Will's couch, as close as possible. Emma was practically on top of Will; their legs were tangled up together and their arms were around each other.

It was a couple weeks since they had told Jacob, and Emma had come over for dinner that night. Jacob was becoming much more used to the fact that his dad and his teacher were in love, and their dinner together was enjoyable and delicious. Will was an excellent cook, Emma found out. Now, Jacob was fast asleep in bed.

"So... you must have had a million boyfriends before... right?" Will murmured into her ear.

"Not really..." Emma laughed. "I mean, I've had a couple serious relationships, but I've never been engaged."

"Why?"

"I don't know..." she shrugged. Afraid of commitment? Haven't found the right person? She really didn't know the answer.

"The last boyfriend I had... turned out to be a jerk." Emma sighed, and Will could tell it was hard for her to talk about. He listened to her, his sincere brown eyes urging her on.

"He, um... he cheated on me. After almost a year of dating."

"Ugh, Em, I'm sorry. What a jerk."

"It's okay," she shook her head and smiled. "I'm much better off now."

Will smiled and gave her a soft peck on the lips.

"So what about you?" Emma said, tired of talking about herself. "Whatever happened to Jacob's mom?"

"Oh. Um..." The question was a curveball for Will. _You have to tell her, man._ He told himself. _All right, this is it. Here goes. _"Emma, there's actually something I need to tell you."

She tilted her head questioningly and looked into his eyes. Will paused and took a deep breath.

"Dad?"

Will turned around to see Jacob standing in the hallway in his pajamas.

"What's up, bud?"

"I can't sleep." Jacob was rubbing his eyes and yawning. Will looked at Emma apologetically before getting up off the couch and going over to where Jacob was standing.

"Come on, let's go to bed. I'll bring you some warm milk in a few minutes, okay?" Will turned Jacob around and gently pushed him toward his bedroom.

"Okay..."

Will went back to the living room where Emma was waiting for him on the couch.

"Would you care to accompany me to the kitchen while I warm up some milk?" Will said, smiling as he motioned toward the kitchen.

"Of course, sire," Emma said, giggling. They went into the cozy kitchen and Will stuck his head in the fridge, pulling out a carton of milk. He poured some in a saucepan and turned on the stove.

"You know, if you just put it in the microwave it would be a lot quicker," Emma commented, not even trying to hide the fact that she was teasing him. Will smiled and rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Jacob likes it better when it's heated on the stove. When I use the microwave, the temperature of the milk isn't consistent throughout the cup," he explained. "When I use the stove, it's perfectly warm all the way through. That way, he can sleep better."

It made no sense, yet it made perfect sense. Emma stepped closer to Will and kissed him unexpectedly on the nose. He smiled.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," she smiled. "You're just a really good dad."

They looked at each other happily for a moment, then Emma broke the silence, remembering a conversation they had started earlier.

"So what did you need to tell me? When we got interrupted by Jacob?" she said curiously.

"Oh, uh... I don't remember. It was probably nothing, anyways."

"You sure?"

He nodded and turned back to the stove, turning off the heat and pouring the milk out of the saucepan and into a small blue mug.

* * *

"Okay, guys, it's time for your journal writing! You have 20 minutes to write about your favorite restaurant in your journal. Ready, go!"

It was Monday morning, and Emma was beginning a normal day of teaching. As her students scribbled onto their papers furiously, Emma walked slowly up and down their desks.

"Good, Elise. Nice job, Ben. Good work, Madison." She strolled around the students' desks, praising the ones who were working exceptionally hard. She stopped at Jacob's desk and smiled when she saw his wrinkled, word-filled paper.

"Jacob, do you want to read yours to the class?"

He smiled up at her. "Sure."

Emma tried very hard to give equal treatment to all of her students, especially Jacob, considering that situation. But it was admittedly difficult. Jacob was such a smart, well-behaved boy, and he was one of Emma's favorites even before she met Will. As he read out loud about how much he loved Breadstix, Emma listened with a tender smile, impressed by his writing style and vocabulary.

The rest of the morning passed without distinction, and when the bell rang for recess, Jacob started to run outside with the rest of the kids, but Emma stopped him.

"Wait a minute, Jacob." He turned around and walked back into the classroom.

"What's up, Miss P?"

"I really liked your journal write today. Your writing has really improved."

"Thanks," he looked at the ground shyly.

"So you like Breadstix?" He nodded enthusiastically. "Maybe we can go there sometime with your dad."

"That would be fun," Jacob agreed with a smile. She smiled back at him, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair affectionately.

"Okay, go play. I don't want to keep you from your recess."

He happily obliged and ran outside to join his friends as Emma looked on fondly.

* * *

**Breadstix tonight? You, me, and Jacob - 6:00?**

Will reread the text Emma had sent him earlier that day, double-checking to make sure he had gotten the time right. He looked at his watch again - 6:15. Where was she?

He was sitting in a cozy booth at Breadstix with Jacob next to him, his legs dangling under the table. Jacob was looking down at his lap, playing on Will's iPhone.

"When Emma gets here, no more video games, okay Jake?" Will said to his son.

"Kay, dad." Jacob replied, keeping his eyes on the tiny screen.

"Sorry I'm late!" Emma, slightly out of breath, slid quickly into the booth opposite Will and Jacob. Both boys immediately smiled at her entrance.

"Hi Em," Will grinned. "Don't worry about it, we were just about to order." Just then, the waiter appeared at their table.

"And here's the pretty girl we've been waiting on!" he announced smoothly. Will cleared his throat loudly and Emma blushed, giving an awkward laugh.

"Can I take your dinner orders?" The waiter apparently did not notice his customers' reactions. They ordered dinner, Will got Fettuccine Alfredo, Jacob got spaghetti and meatballs, and Emma ordered mushroom ravioli.

When the waiter hustled away to place their order, the three of them talked easily. Emma made sure to include Jacob in the conversation, asking him about his soccer team and his new friends. When she asked him how he liked Ohio, he turned thoughtful.

"Well... I miss California, but I like Ohio. Everyone's nice. I like it," he said, nodding.

Just then, Will looked toward the door and spotted Terri walking into the restaurant. He made a strangled sound and immediately put his hand over his eyes, covering as much of his face as he could.

"Will? What's wrong?"

"Uh... nothing. It's just... it's really bright in here don't you think?" He put his sunglasses on and prayed Terri wouldn't see him. To his dismay, she noticed him right away and with a sly smile, began approaching his table.

"Well look who we have here," Terri said when she reached their table. "Will sexy Schuester!" Her voice was slurred and she smelled strongly of vodka.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Emma said in a confused voice as she looked from Will to Jacob to the intoxicated blonde woman standing at the edge of their table. Both Will and Jacob were white in the face, they both looked shocked and somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh I'm sorry!" Terri's voice was overly sappy. "I'm Terri Schuester, Will's wife." Her voice raised ten times in volume at the last word, and she raised her eyebrows at Emma. Will immediately stood up and grabbed Terri's shoulders.

"Terri, what are you doing here...?" he hissed, looking nervously over at Emma, whose face was just as white as his was five seconds ago.

"Will...?" Emma's voice was soft and he could tell she was trying hard to keep it steady.

"Emma, I can explain-"

"But you're not denying it. You're married." It was a statement, not a question, and she put her hand over her mouth as she absorbed the shock.

"Emma, let me-"

"Wait, who is this, Will?" Will was interrupted again, but by Terri this time. "A mistress? Are you cheating on me, Will?" Her voice was far from hurt or angry, rather it was happily surprised and somewhat triumphant. She leaned down and addressed Emma.

"Will called me a few days ago, begging me to come to Ohio. Probably missed me too much. Missed the sex." She cackled. Only then did she seem to notice Jacob. "Oh hi honey. Ready to go home?" Jacob looked scared to the point of tears, and he shook his head quickly.

"Will, what the hell?" Emma said quietly. She gathered her things and stood up to leave, her eyes glazed with tears.

"Terri, enough!" Will roared. "We are not together anymore! You can't just come into my life and say these things!" Terri took a step back, her sharp blue eyes seeming a little shocked at Will's outburst.

"Fine..." Her voice was quieter. Then she turned again toward Emma, who was about to walk out. "Just be careful he doesn't hit you like he did to me."

Emma's mouth hung slightly open, and she looked at Will in shock, shaking her head. Before Will or Terri could say another word, Emma had turned on her heel and ran out of the restaurant.

"Emma, wait!" Will called out desperately, to no avail. "Thanks a lot, Terri," he said harshly. He grabbed his jacket from the booth and gave an angry look to the malicious blonde woman.

"I will get that divorce," he said coldly. "Come on Jacob. Our dinner is ruined." Jacob scrambled out of the booth and stood behind his dad. With his hand on Jacob's shoulder, Will guided his son out of the restaurant and towards home, willing himself not to break down and cry in front of his kid.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma rushed out of the restaurant, letting the door slam behind her and running out into the chilly night. Her eyes were filled with salty tears, and as soon as her face was struck by the sharp wind, the tears spilled over and fell rapidly down her warmed cheeks.

Walking blindly to find her blue Toyota, Emma clumsily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. It was such a perfect night, and of course it had to go and get ruined. Clicking the unlock button on her car key, Emma roughly opened the door to the driver's side and threw herself into the car. She sat there for a few minutes, letting herself sob as loudly as she wanted. The tears slid down her face endlessly, and after a while Emma closed her eyes and rested her head against the seat.

She was so hurt, and so humiliated. How could Will do such a thing to her? How could he lie to her for so long, about something that was so important? She could not believe he was married, and she wouldn't have believed it had she not seen the hawk-like woman with her very own eyes. Not to mention what Terri had said… that Will had hit her. Emma contemplated that in her head.

Terri was completely drunk, that much was obvious, but she had no reason to make that up about Will. On the other hand, Will seemed so gentle, so sweet; she couldn't imagine he could ever physically hurt anyone.

But as she replayed the night's events in her head and remembered his long-standing lie to her, she narrowed her eyes angrily and let out a frustrated huff. She decided not to completely disbelieve Terri's accusation, calling Will a few choice words under her breath.

Taking a deep breath and wiping away her tears, Emma started up the engine and began to drive home. Nevertheless, many more tears fell during the ten-minute drive to her house, and even more fell while she lay in bed that night, attempting to block out the night's events and sleep. Her cell phone buzzed continuously all through the night, and eventually Emma had to switch the power off, irritated to no end.

Will let out a small muffled cry as his call to Emma went to voicemail for the fifteenth time. He understood why she would be angry, but he needed to explain everything to her so badly. He groaned, rolling over in bed, and decided to send her a text message.

**Emma – I NEED to talk to you. It's not what it seems. Please answer my calls. –Will**

He sighed sadly as he sent the message, knowing there was a more than likely chance that Emma would send his text message straight to the trash.

Will was devastated at the night's events. He was furious at Terri for randomly appearing in his life and screwing everything up, and he was angry at himself for not having the balls to tell Emma the truth that he was married. A tear escaped his saddened eye as he thought about what Emma would be doing right now. He wanted so badly to be with her, to take her hand in his, to hold her close and kiss her soft cheek.

After hearing stirring coming from Jacob's bedroom, Will got out of bed and walked into his son's room. Jacob was moving around restlessly in bed, his covers and sheets wrinkled and out of place. When he realized his dad was in his room, he looked up at him with his big beautiful eyes.

"Can't sleep, Daddy?"

"No," Will sighed. "You either?" Jacob nodded gravely. Will came closer to the bed and sat at the foot of it.

"Listen, Jacob, I'm really sorry you had to see that… earlier tonight. I'm sorry Mom came and acted the way she did. I'm sorry our dinner was ruined."

"It's okay, Dad. It's not your fault." Jacob's face showed signs of sadness, but also a new maturity that Will had never seen before, or maybe just never noticed until this point.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Is Miss Pillsbury mad at you?" The question was innocent and child-like.

"Yeah… yeah, she is." Will fought back the desire to cry.

"Why?"

"Because I did something bad, Jacob. I never told Miss Pillsbury that I'm still married. Honesty is the most important thing in a relationship and… I blew it." This time, Will could not stop a tear from sliding down his cheek.

"Don't cry, Daddy," Jacob said, alarmed by his father's vulnerable tear. "Miss Pillsbury will forgive you. She really loves you."

"Thanks, buddy." Will gave a small smile and kissed Jacob's forehead. "I hope so."

* * *

After two hours of tossing and turning in bed, Emma determined that it was impossible to sleep that night. Her myriad of emotions were all boiling and churning inside of her like hot spicy stew, and she could not keep them contained to a simmer. She threw the covers off of her body and entered the bathroom, leaning over the sink to splash some cold water onto her face. After toweling her face dry, she stood there for a few minutes, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

She looked horrible. Her big, usually beautiful eyes were red and swollen from crying, streaming jagged grey lines from the mascara she hadn't bothered to remove. Her cheeks were darkened as well, seeming to be permanently blushed from the humiliation she had experienced just a few hours ago. Her hair was wavy and messy, not even parted in one spot, and her mouth was set in an angry grimace, unfamiliar to the smile that she always gave.

Emma threw her towel at the mirror, disgusted by what she saw in her reflection, and stalked out of the bathroom. She headed toward the kitchen, knowing if she went back to bed there would just be more sleepless tossing and turning.

Once in the small, cozy kitchen, Emma sat in one of her antique wooden chairs and rested her elbows on the table, letting her chin rest on her hands. She tried not to think about Will and what he had done to her, but her thoughts kept straying back to him. And all of them had conspicuous traces of fury, confusion, and hurt in them. Then she thought about Jacob, innocent, sweet little Jacob, and she groaned in confusion and frustration, letting her head hit the table. Why did all the bad stuff have to happen to her?

As she sat there, wallowing in self-pity, Terri's last warning to Emma before she stormed out kept replaying her head.

"_Just be careful he doesn't hit you like he did to me."_ Terri's menacing, sharp blue eyes and malicious yet pretty face came swimming back into Emma's overflowing mind. Did Terri mean that? Was that last statement a sincere warning, or a last jab out of bitterness? Emma couldn't figure it out, no matter how many times she replayed the scene over and over in her mind. She couldn't tell if Terri just had a case of sour grapes, or if she was actually concerned for Emma.

_Nah_, Emma reassured herself. _She must have just made that up. Will wouldn't hurt a fly, as much as I loathe him at the moment._

She stroked her chin in thought for a moment, considering all of the variables. She was almost positive Terri had just made that up out of pure malice, but just to be sure, she decided to call her friend Sarah. Since Sarah worked in the crime department, Emma was sure she would have all or any records on Will if they existed. And as much as she felt angry and bitter towards Will, she wanted to be sure he actually wasn't guilty of abuse.

As she dialed Sarah's work number on her cell, Emma prayed that Sarah had the night shift that night. She didn't know if she could wait a minute longer to find out, let alone a whole sleepless night. She held her breath as the phone rang. When the operator to Sarah's work spoke, Emma dialed her friend's extension number and waited impatiently.

"Office of Criminal Law and Justice, this is Sarah speaking." Emma let out a sigh of relief.

"Sarah, it's Emma."

"Oh! Hey, Em! I'm on the clock now… would you mind calling me later? I mean, unless it's urgent or something…" Sarah sounded a little confused that Emma was calling her at her workplace.

"Sarah, it's really important. I need your help."

Sarah could hear the desperation in Emma's soft voice and the gravelly frustration and sadness etched into her words.

"Emma… what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"…Not really."

"Oh my god, what happened?"

"It… it's a long story, Sar. I don't want to keep you too long from your job." She sighed sadly. "But… I do need a favor. It's really important."

"Um… sure, Em, what do you need?" Sarah was confused and curious, but more than concerned for her friend and willing to do anything to help her in any way.

"I… I need you to look up someone's criminal record for me."

"I… I'm not really allowed…"

"Sarah, please."

"Alright…" Sarah reluctantly agreed. She could hear the urgency in her friend's voice, so she opened up her computer and typed in a few codes. "Name?"

There was a pause as Emma had difficulty in saying it out loud. "William Schuester." Another pause, and Emma could hear the clicking of the keyboard as her loyal friend searched Will's records.

"Thirty-three years old, from Long Beach, California, has a ten-year-old son, married?"

"Yes, that's him."

"All right, criminal records. Guilty of domestic violence inside the home, against Terri Schuester, wife-" Emma let out a muffled gasp and a tear slid down her makeup-stained cheek.

"Em, what's wrong? Who is this guy?"

"He's… the guy… I told you about…" It came out in short sobs.

"Holy shit…" The seriousness of the situation slowly dawned on Sarah. "But… married?"

"Ye…yeah…" Emma sobbed, mentally smacking herself in the forehead.

"Shit, Em, I'm sorry…" There were sounds of commotion on Sarah's end of the line, and she cussed under her breath.

"I've gotta go, Em, something's come up. Listen… I'll call you when I get off, okay?" Only muffled sobs could be heard coming from Emma, and Sarah bit her lip apologetically, and then hung up.

Emma's cell phone slid out of her clammy hands and hit the table with a loud clonk, barely even noticed by its owner. She was shaking uncontrollably, not because the house was 10 degrees chillier than usual, but because she had spent so much time with, maybe even fallen in love with, a man who she didn't know the first thing about. Will Schuester's real identity was most likely a completely different person than the man that Emma had found herself so attracted to.

When Emma thought she had no more tears left, more came out of nowhere, gushing out of her already reddened eyes and spilling down her face as she rested her head on the table, exhausted. They dripped off her small nose, scampered toward her ears, bled into the roots of her hair.

So Will was guilty of domestic violence. He had indeed hit Terri. Emma wondered if he had ever hit Jacob, and she shuddered at the thought. An hour ago, Emma would have ridiculed the idea, but now, after finding out all these lies about a man she really trusted, now she considered it very plausible. Emma was embarrassed and angry with herself for falling for him, falling for the whole act, for being so gullible and naïve.

She was scared for Jacob, too. Will was a dangerous man, and she was scared for Jacob, living under the same roof as him, in a bedroom maybe 5 feet away from his. Emma thought of the sharp knives she had seen in the bottom drawer in his kitchen, and gasped involuntarily at the thought.

Emma fell asleep at the kitchen table, her head lolled uncomfortably on her arm. When she woke up the next day, she was exhausted and drained. She remembered her thoughts from last night, and realized how irrational and silly they were, although they remained at the back of her mind. Her phone had 29 missed calls and 8 new messages, but she didn't even bother to look at them. She retired to her bed and slept more; catching up on all the sleep she had missed the previous night.

The next day was a Thursday, and when Jacob arrived at school, he found a substitute teacher standing at Emma's podium instead of the petite, beautiful redhead. The sight was much to Jacob's dismay, and he sulked through the lessons all day, wondering if his father was the cause of Miss Pillsbury's absence.

Friday was the same, with the classroom seeming cold and unfriendly without Emma's cheery voice filling it up and making it homey and fun. When Jacob brought the news of his teacher's absence home to his father, Will was extremely worried. He brushed it off with the hope that she was just home with a common cold, but in reality, he knew Emma was missing work because of him.

Will was ashamed of himself for lying to Emma, and all he wanted to do was make things right. No matter how many times he called Emma's cell phone, it went straight to voicemail every time. Will resorted to just calling her cell to hear her lovely, happy voice over the voicemail.

Driving home from the grocery store that Friday night, Will could not keep Emma's dejected face from reappearing in his thoughts, hurt and sadness written all over it. With a frustrated sigh, he punched the button of the radio, hoping the music would push thoughts of Emma out of his tired brain.

A slow, longing song came floating out of the small speakers, and as the song played for a couple seconds, Will recognized it instantly. He brought his right hand up to the button, preparing to turn off the depressing song, but something stopped him and he froze, letting the lyrics fill himself and his heart.

_I don't know you, but I want you  
All the more for that.  
Words fall through me, always fool me  
And I can't relax._

_Games that never amount to more than they're meant  
We'll play themselves out.  
Take this sinking boat and point it home  
We've still got time.  
Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice  
You make it now._

_Falling slowly, eyes that know me, and I can't go back.  
And words that take me, and erase me, and I'm painted black.  
Well you have suffered enough, and warred with yourself.  
It's time that you won.  
Take this sinking boat and point it home  
We've still got time._

_Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice.  
You made it now.  
Falling slowly, sing your melody, I'll sing it now._

As the song ended softly, Will wiped tears out of his eyes, and the spell ended. He realized he was sitting in his driveway, not sure of how long he had actually been sitting there in his car, listening to the telling song. Knowing what he had to do, Will reversed out of the driveway again and went back out into the street. He began to drive the familiar route to Emma's house, determined, not giving a second thought to what he was doing.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry, more angst in this chapter! D: Don't worry, it will get better soon. Please, please, _please_ review! I am so appreciative of all of your guys's reviews so far, so please keep them coming! Thank you so much!**

* * *

Will sat in his car, parked on the street outside of Emma's pretty little house. He stopped to take a breath, second-guessing what he was about to do, knowing Emma did not want to see him right now. But his overwhelming need to make things right with Emma overtook his doubts and he forced himself to get out of his car and walk up to Emma's front door.

Taking a deep, nervous breath, Will raised his hand and knocked firmly on the door. Nothing happened; no one answered. He knocked again, no response. He put his ear to the door, listening, and could just barely make out light footsteps coming from the other side of the door.

"Emma!" he shouted, and rapped on the door for a third time. "Emma, open the door, it's me, I have to talk to you! It's important, Em! I know you're mad at me, but I just really need to see you, and explain things to you. Please, Emma."

He paused for a second, realizing that Emma was standing right on the other side of the thick wooden door, standing there listening. He could feel her presence; he could almost smell her flowery perfume. And as he listened painstakingly, he could hear her short, continuous breathing.

"Emma, I'm so sorry." He spoke to the door. "I understand that you're mad at me. I deserve it, I've been so stupid. I lied to you, and I don't even know why I did it. I guess I just… thought I would have a better chance with you if you didn't know my complicated situation. I know, it was stupid," he added as he heard a sound of disbelief coming from the other side of the door.

"Em, I've been trying to get a divorce for almost two years. Terri turned into a selfish alcohol addict, and I had wanted to take Jacob and get away from her as soon as possible. I wanted an official divorce, but she kept refusing to sign the papers. She was in denial of her terrible state of being, and she didn't want Jacob and me to leave."

He took a breath, making sure she was still listening. A small cough coming from inside the house confirmed that she was, and he continued to talk.

"Finally, I gave up, and I just took Jacob and we moved here. I gave up trying to get Terri to sign the papers, it wasn't happening. But I knew we needed to get away from her, she was slowly turning into an insane alcoholic. It was scary. So we moved. And a few days ago, I did call her and ask her to come to Ohio. But it wasn't for any of the stupid reasons she said. It was to get her to sign the papers for an official divorce. I knew I had to end it Em, because I was getting serious with you. I wanted to be with you, and I wanted to be officially rid of Terri."

He rolled his eyes as he thought of Terri's grand re-entrance into his life.

"I actually thought she had given in," he continued. "But when she showed up at Breadstix the other night, I guess I realized how wrong I was. Terri is never going to change, I should have known that." He shook his head at no one in particular, disappointed in himself.

"I understand if you're not ready to forgive me, Emma. But please just… give me a second chance. I miss you so much…" his voice trailed off as he listened, desperate for a response from Emma. There was silence, loud, painful silence. Will sighed, defeated, and walked back out to his car.

On the other side of the door, Emma had slid down to a sitting position on the floor, her back against the hard wooden door. Her hand was covering her mouth, and tears were once again flowing down her cheeks. Everything Will had said made sense, but there were still holes in his story. She shook her head and sniffled, wiping her eyes. Will was right about one thing. She wasn't ready to forgive him. Although she couldn't deny that she missed him…

* * *

With Monday came the promise of the start of a new week, a fresh beginning, and it started out in a positive way for Jacob. When he walked into his classroom Monday morning, Emma stood at the podium, smiling her usual cheery smile as her students gradually filed into the classroom. What none of her students could sense was the sadness and confusion etched beneath her smile.

However, the familiar classroom setting calmed Emma and made her feel at home. She momentarily forgot her mixed bag of emotions boiling inside of her, and focused on what she did best: teaching. To Jacob, she seemed to be almost herself, apart from momentary lapses in which she would gaze sadly out the window before snapping herself back to reality.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, aside from a beautiful bouquet of flowers with an apology note stuck in them delivered to Miss Emma Pillsbury at recess time. Emma allowed herself a tiny smile at the flowers, arranging them neatly on her desk, but turned her nose up at the note.

When the bell rang signaling for school to end, Emma called Jacob to her desk as all the other kids ran out of the classroom.

"How're you doing, Jacob?" Emma asked innocently.

"Good," he said softly. "I miss you, though."

"I miss you, too," she admitted. They both knew that they were referring to something other than the two days of school that Emma had been absent. There was a small pause and Emma realized how she loved Jacob almost as a son.

"Listen, Jacob… there's something I need to ask you."

"What?"

"Did your dad… has he… has he ever, you know… physically hurt you before? Or anything like that?"

Jacob's eyes widened and he immediately gave Emma a look of disbelief; clearly he was more than offended by the question.

"My mom didn't know what she was talking about back at the restaurant," he said in a small voice. He was more than disappointed that Emma would even believe that for a second, unaware that she had checked up on it with her friend.

"Are you sure? So… he never hit your mom?" She could see that he was offended, but she was also confused. The criminal record couldn't be wrong. That was impossible.

Jacob sighed. "Well, one time, he did hit my mom. But it was only because he was protecting me. It was a long time ago and my mom was drunk and she was mad at me for not doing the dishes. She was really scary and she had a knife in her hand, so my dad took the knife out of her hand and pushed her so that she fell down. He said he thought she was going to hurt me."

Emma's eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open. "Did… did _you_ think she was going to hurt you?"

Jacob nodded, fear apparent in his eyes from the memory. "She was shaking, she was so mad. And she was coming towards me. And the knife was really sharp… But it's okay because my dad saved me." As Jacob spoke, pure devotion and love for his father was obvious to Emma. She ran her hands through her hair and mentally bashed herself for being so stupid. She could see that the small boy was trembling as he told Emma the story, and she opened her arms for him to fall into, contented with the motherly embrace that had been missing from his life for so long.

Emma imagined the scene in her head. Terri, drunk and tired, stumbling in through the front door. Jacob sitting at the kitchen table, maybe doing his homework or eating a bowl of cereal. Will also sitting at the table, maybe paying some bills or reading a magazine. Terri stumbling over to the counter, grabbing a dirty knife out of the sink angrily, screaming at Jacob because the dishes weren't done. Terri coming closer to little Jacob, sitting at the table, scared out of his wits. Will suddenly in between them, prying the knife out of Terri's trembling hand, pushing her away from Jacob forcefully. Terri falling to the ground, clumsy from the alcohol.

Emma's eyes suddenly felt foggy and she pulled away from Jacob, giving him a reassuring smile as she daintily slid a finger under her eye, making sure her mascara wasn't running.

"Are…. are you gonna be okay, Miss P?" Jacob asked, concerned.

"Yes, I think so," Emma replied with a smile. "Are you?"

Jacob nodded, matching Emma's smile.

"All right, get out of here, don't keep your dad waiting," Emma said, pushing him away playfully.

"Bye Miss Pillsbury," Jacob smiled, walking out the door.

The rest of the day was pretty busy for the Schuester family. Jacob had karate right after school, and then Will had to go to work, so they didn't really get a chance to talk about the day's events. Jacob was somewhat grateful, too, because he wasn't sure how he would tell his father about his little talk with Miss Pillsbury.

That night, Will had a job playing at a small local restaurant. He liked to obtain these little side jobs whenever he could; the pay wasn't great, but he really enjoyed playing his guitar and singing for a local audience.

Emma had heard around the town that Will would be playing at one of her favorite cozy little restaurants that night. She didn't want to go, she didn't, but in the end she had to admit that she actually did want to go, she really wanted to go and hear Will play, hear him work his beautiful magic. At 9:00, she finally gave in and drove over to the restaurant where Will would be playing.

Will had spent the evening playing mostly happy, uplifting songs, inspiring applause from the diners after each song. He was having the time of his life, entertaining people, making them smile, doing what he did best. After what seemed like a much shorter time than it actually was, it was time for Will to pack up and go home. He decided to finish up with one last song, a slow one before he left.

"All right, I'm going to slow things down for my last song of the night," Will said smoothly into the microphone. "This is a special song I wrote myself. It's dedicated to a special someone I hold very dear to my heart."

Emma pushed open the restaurant door and was confused at first as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. It was crowded, much more crowded than she had ever seen it. People were standing in the center of the room, rapturously watching a man with curly brown hair with a guitar. As Will began to sing, Emma stood at the back of the crowd, watching him.

_I stand alone, hoping that you'll come outside  
__My tears are warm; I just want you by my side.  
__I've been a stupid idiot  
__But please just don't give up  
__I can't bear the thought of life without you  
__I'm begging you, come up._

Will's mouth backed away from the microphone for a few seconds as he strummed on his guitar, and he looked up and locked eyes with Emma, who was staring at him with adoration written all over her features. He kept his wistful eyes on her while he continued to sing his song to her. Everyone else in the restaurant vanished, and it was just the two of them staring at each other.

_We're standing here so far away  
__Yet somehow we're so close  
__Our bodies are just feet apart  
__I'm holding your rose._

_But something stands between us  
__We both know what it is  
__The door is separating us  
__Please just let me in_

_I lied to you, regret it every day.  
__I understand, why you say go away.  
__I want you back like crazy  
__There's nothing I need more.  
__Your beautiful self stands there  
__On the other side of the door._

_Just give me another chance  
__I know you miss me too  
__Please believe me when I say  
__My life sucks without you_

_I'll never hurt you again  
__I'm telling you, I'm yours  
__So put your hand on that doorknob  
__And open up the door.  
__All you have to do  
__Is let me back in  
__I love you more than anything  
__Let's let our life begin._

Will sang it slowly and sweetly, looking meaningfully into Emma's wide eyes. The beautiful melody made a tear gather in the corner of Emma's eye, and she let it drop quickly from her eye like a rain drop. When the song ended, Will thanked his audience in a hoarse voice, then quickly gathered his things and headed toward the back of the restaurant where Emma was standing, frozen with emotion.

"Thanks for coming," he breathed. She only nodded, still unable to form coherent words that compared to the beautiful lyrics he had just sung. Her eyes floated to his lips, and she stared at them, missing their sweet feathery touch on her lips.

"Do you… want to take a walk?" she suggested. He nodded, and they left the restaurant together, walking down the quiet street.

"Will, that… that was a beautiful song," she said softly.

"Thanks," he smiled. "I wrote it right after I got home from your house Friday night."

She smiled sheepishly at the memory.

"So guess what?" he said, a grin spreading across his face.

"What?"

"I am officially and legally divorced from Terri del Monico as of last night. I finally got her to sign the papers!" As he said the words, he felt so relieved and free, and proud of himself for finally getting her to agree to it. It was difficult and not pretty, but it had to be done.

"Will, that's… that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" Emma smiled, happy for herself as well.

"Me, too," he said happily. Emma felt that this was the time for an apology, maybe even for forgiveness.

"Um, Will, I… I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. I just… what Terri said about you hitting her, it… it kind of startled me, but um, Jacob explained everything to me today at school, and I just… I feel really bad." Will raised his eyebrows and stiffened noticeably as he took in what Emma was saying.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," he put a hand in the air to pause her. "You believed Terri when she said I hit her? Even though she was drunk?"

"Well… I doubted it, Will, but then your criminal record…"

"What the hell, Emma? You looked up my criminal record? How did you even do that?"

"I… I have a friend that works in the field…"

"Emma, I thought you were mad at me because I lied to you about being married. I thought _that_ was the reason you refused to speak to me. Not because you took what a drunk stranger said seriously."

"No, no, that was part of it, I just… I just wanted to be sure."

"So you trusted a drunk woman you've never met before you trusted me?"

"No! It's just… you didn't even deny it, and I… I just-"

"Didn't deny it? Emma, I didn't think I _had_ to! I thought you knew me well enough, trusted me enough to know that I wouldn't do a thing like that!" His voice had risen angrily, and he stopped to face Emma.

"I do! I do trust you, Will, I… I don't know what I was thinking…" she paused to look at his reaction. He didn't say anything; his face was stony. "But… Will, it's okay. I know what happened. Jacob explained everything, and-"

"No, Emma. It's not okay."

"Wh-what?"

"I have to go." And with that, Will turned around and walked quickly back the way they had come, leaving Emma standing there alone.

_I ruined everything,_ she thought, burying her face in her hands. _Now I'll never get back the man I love._

She watched him stomp away, so offended by Emma's lack of trust in him, and Emma hated herself for not being able to trust him fully, even though she trusted him more than she had ever trusted anyone else.

* * *

**Please review! I appreciate even the negative ones :)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

It was another sleepless night for Emma Pillsbury. After Will had left her standing there outside the restaurant, Emma had driven home in a dream. She had been barely aware of her surroundings, she had forgotten what time it was, what day it was, what year it was. She had driven home on autopilot, her subconscious mind directing her car along the familiar route she took home every day, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

As she lay in bed, eyes wide open, her body had not moved from its dream-like state at all. It all just seemed too wrong. Just when Emma had decided to forgive him for lying to her, just when she decided she really wanted to be with him, he had suddenly turned on her. And for what? Lack of trust. Emma groaned and rolled over in bed, mentally berating herself. Why couldn't Will understand that Emma did trust him? She knew he couldn't have actually hurt anyone, she knew it deep down the whole time. Why, then, did she even call Sarah? Her mind searched for answers that weren't there.

Emma remembered the scene three days ago when Will had delivered his longing monologue through the thick wood of Emma's front door. He had been crazy, insane almost with regret, but Emma had not been scared. At that moment, Emma had forgotten all about Terri's hasty accusation.

_Why can't he see that I trust him?_ She wondered to herself, frustrated to no end with her never-ending internal thoughts.

The next morning, Emma rose early, 5 am, after lying still in bed for 6 hours, eyes never closing for more than a millisecond at a time. She had dark bags under her big brown eyes, and her eyes were rimmed with red from exhaustion. Yet she didn't even consider staying home from work again. If there was one thing that would make Emma feel better, it would be seeing Jacob's smiling cherub face, his amber eyes that seemed to mirror Will's, his broad smile that made his chin dimple appear, his random acts of sweetness that reminded Emma so much of his father. Of course, Emma craved the older version of Jacob, longed to see him, to prove her trust to him, but she understood his hurt, and she knew she had to give him time before she tried to win him back.

But as she got dressed, ran a brush through her auburn locks, and swept on some makeup, Emma's mood noticeably brightened and the little spark of hope deep down inside of her burned a tiny bit brighter.

Emma sat in her classroom, rearranging some papers on her desk, smiling at each student as he or she walked into the classroom that morning. It was a morning ritual, and not one of her students noticed the sadness behind her sweet smile. Slowly, Emma's fifth grade students trickled into the classroom until it was almost full. Jacob's seat remained empty, and Emma stared at the door, willing it to open one more time to admit her favorite student.

The bell rang, making Emma jump, and she reluctantly got up to begin her lessons for the day. Her students did notice her odd jumpiness, and more than once during the day, she had to be reminded of what page they were on, what problem they were working on.

_He's probably just down with the flu,_ Emma rolled her eyes at herself. Why was she worrying so much? It was just one absence. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something else was stopping Jacob from coming to school. And when the school day finally ended, Emma found herself driving to the Schuester household instead of her own. As she drove, her phone rang shrilly and looking at the phone, she realized it was her friend Sarah. She pressed on the speaker button and answered the phone.

"Sar?"

"Em! Oh my god, I've been so worried about you! I called you about a thousand times that night, why didn't you pick up your phone?"

"I... I don't know, I'm sorry."

"And then I had a case, so I was super busy all weekend, but there's something super important that I have to tell you."

"What is it?"

"On Will's criminal record, it did say that he hit his wife, but at the bottom it said it was cleared, because it was self-defense. I think he was protecting his kid or something. That's what it seems like."

"I... I know," Emma breathed, smiling. "Sarah, there's so much I have to tell you, but I can't really talk now. I... just arrived at Will's house."

"Well then!" Sarah's tone was suggestive. "Get some, girl!"

As Emma stood on the doorstep, knocking lightly on the door, she shook her head at herself.

_What are you doing, Emma? _She asked herself. To be honest, she hadn't thought about what she was doing at all until that very moment, and that was when she decided it was a pretty stupid idea to show up at Will Schuester's doorstep. She nervously looked around and was about to turn around and walk back to her car when she heard a small click and the door opened.

Jacob's small face poked his head around the door and when he saw who it was, he opened the door wider and ran out, giving Emma a warm hug. A little surprised at the show of affection, Emma froze for a second but quickly reacted, hugging the small boy back.

"Um… hi, Jacob," she smiled, not able to hide her confusion as she looked past him into the house. Boxes were stacked everywhere; the inside of the house was unrecognizable.

"Hi Miss Pillsbury," he replied – was that sadness in his voice?

"Jacob, go finish packing up your room, okay? I'll be there to help you in a minute." A deeper male voice could be heard, and the owner of the voice appeared a millisecond later, walking up to the door behind Jacob. Will gently pushed Jacob back into the house, and then stepped outside, closing the front door behind him.

He didn't speak, just looked calmly into Emma's eyes, unsmiling. Try as she might, Emma couldn't tell what Will was thinking or feeling.

"You shouldn't have come here."

"I… I know. I'm sorry, I just… I feel really stupid about last night, and… I got worried when Jacob wasn't at school."

"Well, we're kind of busy right now."

"Will… what are you doing? Are you moving?" Emma's voice was disapproving and quiet, hoping he would answer with a negative. Instead, he confirmed her suspicions with a small nod.

"Yeah, we're heading back to California." Emma's heart dropped into her stomach.

"No… Will, don't. Please. I'm sorry, Will, I'm so sorry! I was so stupid… just please, _please_ don't leave." Her voice became higher and desperate.

"_Why,_ Emma." His voice came out harsher than he had intended. "Why do you even care?"

"God dammit, Will, because I love you! Can't you see that?"

They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, Will slightly surprised by the level of passion and frustration in Emma's voice, Emma panting softly from her little outburst.

"No, I… I have to go." Will shook his head.

"Just stay a little bit longer, Will," Emma was quieter now, pleading. "You don't have to go right away. This is all so sudden."

"No, Emma! I have to leave as soon as possible, before I…" his voice trailed off.

"Before you what?" she challenged. "Before you change your mind?"

"No, I-"

"Don't do this, Will. I know you still have feelings for me. You can't just…" her voice broke a little. "You can't just leave me here."

"I have to, Emma." His voice was firm. "Besides, the landlord wants us out of here by tomorrow afternoon. That's why I had Jacob stay home from school to help me pack. When we get back to California, he'll be registering back into his old school."

Emma bit her lip, willing herself not to cry, searching Will's stony face for answers. She found none in his handsome features, and the lack of them made her want to cry even more.

"Will," she whispered. "Why are you doing this?"

He shook his head, and hoped she couldn't tell that he, too, was trying not to let his pent up tears fall from his clouded eyes.

"I just… I just have to," he said quietly, his voice tinged with sadness. Emma shook her head, not willing to accept the finality of Will's sudden decision.

"No," she said desperately, a sob caught in the back of her throat. And before she even knew what she was doing, she had him pinned against his own front door and she was kissing him urgently, her hands snaking around his waist.

Will gave a small gasp as the shock of the sudden kiss hit him, and he closed his eyes as Emma kissed him with everything she could muster. Her hands fisted themselves in the back of Will's wrinkled T-shirt, and her lips searched for the fight in Will that her heart could not find. She knew it was in there, she knew that spark was still there, it couldn't be gone, it just couldn't.

"Emma," Will murmured softly, in between her urgent kisses. She didn't stop.

"Emma, stop," he repeated, trying to slip out of her strong grasp. She finally backed away from him, defeat in her eyes, and he felt an overwhelming sense of sadness fill up his entire body. He quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped his eye, avoiding eye contact with her.

What was she trying to do? Make him feel miserable right before he was going to leave? Make him miss her even more than he already was going to? What did she think she could accomplish? His mind was made up; he was leaving. Emma looked at him, her face crumpled into sadness, her lips swollen and red from her desperate kisses.

"I'm sorry, Emma, I just can't," he whispered, and disappeared back into the house.

* * *

His touch was so gentle, so sweet and loving. His kisses, too, were passionate, but always hesitant. Always questioning, always making sure he wasn't overstepping his boundaries. As they lay on the soft bed sheets, exploring each other's bodies, Emma showed no hesitation. She urged him on, encouraged him to open himself up to her, just as she wanted to open herself up to him. His searching lips found the soft skin below her ear, right above her collarbone, and as Will made his mark, Emma moaned softly at the sheer pleasure of it. His lips traveled lower, exploring the rest of her body, but always returning to her hungry lips, where they molded perfectly together.

She was just as intrigued by him as he was by her. His strong chest and beautiful abs never failed to amaze her, and she ran her fingers along his sculpted stomach, never satisfied, never satiated. She left feather kisses along his strong muscles, which all fell into weakness at her light touch. Their mouths found each other again, tongues thrashing together in perfect melody. Her bottom half rested on top of his, and as they moved together, she could feel his hardness through both of their underwear, throbbing against her warmed core.

Her breaths turned into short pants as she enjoyed feeling Will so hard, touching her in her most pleasurable spot. She let out a soft moan, and her own pleasured sounds woke her from her slumber. But it wasn't a dream; it was much too real to have been a dream. It was a memory, replayed over and over in Emma's subconscious. But something was there, something was providing such pleasure to Emma's core, and she realized under the covers that it was her own hand.

She cried tears of loss, of defeat, of heartache, and fiercely imagined Will in the bed with her, just as it was in the memory. Her hand was Will's and it was allowing her such bliss under the hot covers.

Was this what Emma was subject to for the rest of her life? Having to resort to the imagined Will inside her head? In a relationship with a fantasy, one that had once existed but was long gone? She knew she would never be able to be with another man. Will was the one for her; she knew it more than she had ever known anything her entire life. And Jacob… she loved him like a son. She didn't know how she would be able to get up in front of her fifth grade class and spend time with a bunch of kids who weren't Jacob.

Emma's troubled thoughts plagued her, and did not fend off sleep, but instead snaked into her dreams, transforming them into sad, empty nightmares. She slept soundly for hours, locked inside the dream world. When she awoke, her clock told her it was half past eleven. Day or night? The intense sun streaming through the windows after she threw open the drapes answered that one.

Her dreams had haunted her, invaded her mind and her body, making her realize how direly she needed Will Schuester in her life. Emma Pillsbury was not giving up. She was in love with Will, and she was going to fight to make him admit that he loved her too.

Emma began to panic as she realized she had slept straight through her alarm clock, and not because she was missing school. She barely gave a second thought to that. She panicked because Will and Jacob were supposed to be out of the house by noon. She had less than thirty minutes to act, if they were even still there.

Muttering nervous comments to herself, Emma threw on the first clothes she set her hands on, right at the front of her closet. Grabbing her keys, leaving her forgotten purse sitting on the dining room table, Emma raced over to Will's house, praying to every higher being she could think of that he would not have left yet.

* * *

**AN: I think there's going to be one more chapter after this. Maybe two, not sure yet. Anyways, sorry for the cliffhanger, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!**


	11. Chapter 11

The small car zoomed down the streets of Lima, Emma putting as much pressure as she could on the accelerator. Her hair whipped around her face as the car flew like lightning against the strong wind. Her heart pounded inside her chest and she refused to consider the possibility that Will and Jacob might already be on a plane to California. She had no idea when they were planning on leaving; all she knew was that the landlord was requiring them to be out by 12 noon.

The ambiguity of it all seemed to make Emma push the car even faster, leaning forward as she drove with determination. She tried to calm herself, breathing slowly and letting her right foot relax slightly off the pedal. Finally, she turned onto Will's street and as his house came into view, she breathed a huge sigh of relief and felt like shedding tears of joy.

Parked in the driveway was a huge moving truck. A couple workers were walking in and out of the house, carrying big pieces of furniture into the truck. Jacob was sitting on the front porch, his face resting in his hands, but Will was nowhere to be seen.

Sitting in her car, looking at the scene through her tinted windows, Emma took a deep breath. She turned off the engine and got out of her car, slowly walking up to the empty looking house. Once Jacob recognized her, his face lit up and he ran over to her, giving her a warm hug.

"I knew you would come. I just knew it," he beamed.

"You… you did?" She was slightly surprised at what he said. He nodded and took her hand, pulling her into the house.

"Yes! Now go convince my dad to stay. Please, Miss Pillsbury. You're the only one who can."

Bewildered by Jacob's words, Emma stumbled into the house, pushed by Jacob's gentle shoves.

"He's in the backyard, by the pool!" he called to her, then went back to sitting on the front porch, closing his eyes, hoping with all his might that his teacher would be able to convince his dad to stay in Ohio.

Emma wandered through the house, scared by its vastness and emptiness. She walked past Will's small bedroom and quickly looked away, shutting her eyes from the sharp memory that had invaded her dreams last night. The walls were bare, stripped of pictures and decorations, making the entire house seem like a dark prison.

"Excuse me, miss." A tall, broad-shouldered worker hurried past her into the house, dripping with sweat from the exertion of carrying the heavy furniture.

There would be no more dawdling. Emma needed to find Will. Quickly stepping into the backyard, she quietly shut the door behind her and stepped into the cool, breezy air. The swimming pool looked peaceful and clear, the water gently lapping the sides of the pool. On the far end of it, Will sat on the concrete, his legs dangling in the calming water, his jeans rolled up to his knees. He stared into the small waves at his reflection, a grimace painted onto his face.

Emma slowly approached him, not sure whether she should wake him from his daydream. She decided she had to, and softly cleared her throat, letting him know of her presence. He swiftly looked up at her, his mouth opening slightly, but his brain not forming any words.

"You… you came," he finally breathed. Right after he spoke the words, he seemed to snap out of his daydream, and he blinked twice. Bringing his legs out of the pool, Will stood up and returned to his task of disassembling the lawn chairs, clearing his throat loudly.

"Why are you here." his voice had changed greatly, now it was rough and harsh, his emotions locked up safely inside his heart. The words never rose up in question, though; Will knew why Emma was there.

"Will… I was so stupid," Emma said, walking closer to him. "I can see why you're upset. But I've realized my mistakes. I've changed."

Will shook his head, his eyes still on the lawn chair he was working on.

"Will." She put her hand on top of his, halting the job he was doing. His eyes rested on their touching hands for a moment. Her hands traveled up his arms and she pulled him away from the silly lawn chairs, forcing him to face her. "I'm not gonna let you leave."

"You don't have a say in the matter." Will was close to tears.

"Just don't leave right away," she pleaded. "You didn't even think it through."

He shook his head again. "We have a plane to catch." He tried to walk past her and into the house, but Emma grabbed his arm.

"Will, stop," she said fiercely. Tears were gushing down her cheeks now, and her voice came out wobbly.

"I can't live without you," she whispered, looking up into his sad eyes.

"Why are you doing this now, Emma?" His voice rose. "My landlord is kicking us out of here, Emma, we have nowhere to go. California is the best place for us."

"No it isn't," she disagreed firmly. "Come to my place."

"What?" Will was taken aback.

"Move in with me. Both of you. I have room in my house, and it will be forever empty if you board that plane, Will." She was sobbing, trying to regain her composure, and they both knew she was talking about her heart along with her house.

"Are you sure that's-"

"Yes. I've never been so sure about anything in my life." She was firm, and she wiped her eyes, sniffling. "Just don't go, Will."

He stared down at her, tears sparkling on her beautiful face, her voice shaking with passion and love. A tear squeezed its way out of Will's eye, and he let it slide down his cheek, dripping off of his chin. He smiled, a small one at first, but then it grew exponentially, and he cupped Emma's wet cheek with his strong hand.

"Okay," he said softly, petting her cheek with his thumb.

"Okay?" Her eyes widened, and traces of a grin showed through her tears.

"Okay," he repeated, grinning. "I'll stay."

Emma gave a little shriek of happiness, and wrapped her arms around his strong body, holding him tightly, never wanting to let him go. He hugged her back, burying his face in her sweet-smelling red hair, rubbing her back lightly. They pulled away from each other and stared at each other's faces for a second, before bringing their lips together for a kiss, hungry, happy, and passionate. He sucked on her bottom lip hungrily, tasting her salty tears and smiling into the kiss. She put her arms around his neck, returning the passion, and he picked her up, twirling her around, never letting his lips leave hers.

"I love you," she murmured into his soft lips.

"I love you too," he whispered back, not missing a beat.

Smiling happily, they walked back into the house, hand in hand, passing right through it and walking back out into the front yard. Once they got outside to the front yard, Will let go of Emma's hand and addressed Jacob.

"I have some good news, buddy," he said with a grin that Jacob hadn't seen in a long time.

"What?" Jacob was suspicious.

"How would you like to move into Miss Pillsbury's house?"

Jacob gasped and smiled hugely, standing up immediately and looking to both of their faces to see if it was true.

"For real?"

"For real."

"Oh my gosh!" He yelped with excitement and ran up to his dad, hugging him with all the strength his ten-year-old body could muster. Will laughed happily and hugged his son back. Emma stood there, a smile shining through her tears, until Jacob reached out his little hand and brought her into the happy embrace.

The three stood there hugging. The sun broke through the gray clouds and shone down on them, and Will leaned over and gave Emma a happy peck on the lips.

"Hey boys!" Will called to the movers. "There's been a change of plans. Instead of going across the country, we're gonna go across town!" Jacob shouted again with delight and began dancing around the yard, so happy to be staying in Ohio.

* * *

"Okay, don't forget, I'm picking you up from school twenty minutes early. You know why," Will said with a wink as Jacob got out of the car.

"Okay. I'll remember," Jacob said with an excited smile as he went into his middle school. One year had passed since Will and Jacob had almost boarded a plane back to California, and both of them were so grateful that they hadn't. Will's relationship with Emma was stronger than ever, and in fact, he was about to take the next step that very day.

At work that day, Will could not concentrate one bit, his heart constantly fluttering in anticipation for what he was about to do. Jacob had the same situation in class. He couldn't focus on any of his work, and throughout the day he would randomly look out the window and smile. His sixth grade teacher, nowhere near as nice as Miss Pillsbury, constantly had to remind him to stay on task.

Emma, on the other hand, had quite a normal day at school. In fact, it was rather draining. Her kids were somewhat rowdy that day, and by the time the end of the school day rolled around, Emma was quite tired out. There were ten minutes left of class, and Emma's fifth-graders were packing up their stuff, organizing their desks and talking animatedly about their weekend plans.

All of a sudden, a man with curly brown hair that they had never seen before burst into the room holding a beautiful acoustic guitar and a huge bouquet of flowers. Immediately, the class fell silent in curiosity at who he was and what he was doing here.

"Will?" Emma squeaked out, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Will said nothing, only smiled and moved aside to allow Jacob to come into the room from behind him. He then approached Emma and handed her the flowers, gently pushing her into a sitting position on a chair. Emma smiled quizzically, tilting her head a little in question.

"What…?" She was shushed by Will's pointer finger that he held up in the air, the smile never disappearing from his face. Then he began to play his guitar and sing. His voice was deep and passionate, and his smile faded away, but the love in his eyes was unmistakable. As he sang, he slowly walked up to Emma, serenading her, walking around her as she sat in her little teacher's stool, blushing profusely.

The song was "Sweet Caroline," and Will made it seem like the lyrics had been written just for Emma, his voice contained more meaning and love than any singing voice Emma had ever heard. Emma's students all watched in awe, giggling at the romantic sight and whispering how good of a singer Will was.

Finally, the beautiful song ended and Will took his guitar off, placing it on the ground behind him. Standing right in front of Emma, he took her hands in his and looked earnestly into her big brown eyes.

"Emma…" he began, and she swallowed in anticipation, biting her lip, holding back a huge grin.

"We've traveled a bumpy road. We've been through so much together, but I think that's what makes us special. You are the sweetest, most wonderful person I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know, and I am so grateful to be able to call you my own. You are the love of my life, Emma, and I never want any other woman besides you, ever."

He got down on one knee and took a little red box out of his jacket pocket. The whole class gasped and squealed as Will opened it, revealing a gorgeous, sparkling ring. Emma stared at it with her hand covering her mouth, tears sliding out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Emma Pillsbury… I love you more than life itself. Will you marry me?"

Emma let out a stifled cry, and nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes! Of course," she cried, and got up off the stool as he stood up, the happiest man alive. He took her in his arms and kissed her, a short but sweet kiss, because her students were all watching her with wide eyes.

"Oh Will, I love you so much," she murmured, cupping his cheek with her hand, both of them oblivious to the enthusiastic cheers and applause from Emma's excited students.

* * *

**Well, that's the ending! (sort of) There is going to be a short epilogue after this, but then that's it. I hope you enjoyed!  
**


	12. Epilogue

**Six Years Later**

"Okay, so you have extra socks, right? That's the most important thing… never go without extra socks. Especially on the east coast. It gets so cold in the winter, and the coldest thing on your body is always your toes, I don't really know why, but yeah. Oh, and your toothbrush! Oh my gosh, I almost forgot to ask you about it… I forgot to put it on the checklist! You have it right?" Emma was rambling.

"Yes, Mom, of course I packed my toothbrush." Jacob rolled his eyes affectionately and chuckled at his stepmother's enthusiasm. They were in the car on the way to the University of Pennsylvania; Will was driving, Emma was in the passenger seat (her body twisted all the way around in her seat talking to Jacob), and Jacob was sitting in the back seat, surprisingly calm for a seventeen year old boy about to embark on the great adventure that was college. He was about Will's height now, his voice had deepened significantly, and his hair was still curly and short, like his father's. His face, as well, had some of the same handsome features that were so prominent in Will.

"I'm sorry, I'm being annoying, aren't I?" Emma sighed and turned back around in her seat, resting her head on the soft car seat. "I'm just so _excited!_" she squealed. Will caught Jacob's eye in the rear view mirror and unsuccessfully tried to hold back a smile.

"I think you're more excited than Jacob is, sweetie," Will said affectionately, taking Emma's hand and squeezing it lightly. The rest of the drive was very much the same, with Emma babbling excitedly about college life and Jacob, just as excited, but keeping his enthusiasm inside.

Finally, they arrived to the campus, and Will and Emma began to unload the car, helping Jacob get settled into his dorm. The unloading of the car took a few trips, and finally they were about finished, standing in Jacob's small dorm room. His roommate hadn't arrived yet, so the room still looked empty and bland.

"Well! I think that's just about it!" Emma announced with a smile, after placing the last box on the floor next to the small bed.

"Oh wait, I think we forgot your sweatshirt, Jacob," Will said, stroking his chin. "Would you mind getting it, babe?" he addressed Emma. "It's in the backseat."

"Sure," she said, and pecked Will on the cheek before leaving the room.

There was an awkward silence and Jacob sat on the bed, feeling a little overwhelmed by all of it.

"You okay, bud?" Will sat down beside his son, clapping a hand to his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm just… I guess I'm just a little nervous," Jacob said quietly.

"We all were," Will said. "But Emma's right. You are going to have the time of your life here at college. It's just what you make of it."

"I know, I know, it's just… weird, you know? I mean… I'm gonna be living here for the next four years. Here, alone, without you guys. It's just…. weird," he repeated, not knowing a better way to word it.

"I know, Jake. I know how you feel. But you know what?" Will put a firm hand on Jacob's knee. "You are going to be amazing here. I can feel it. You've worked so hard on your education your entire life and you made it to one of the best schools in the nation. Emma and I are both so proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad." Jacob smiled and reached over to give his father a hug.

The ride home from Pennsylvania had a happy, satisfied air to it. Will was somewhat quiet though, and Emma had a feeling it was more than concentration on the road that was keeping him silent.

"You okay, Will?" Emma asked him softly.

"What?" he looked over at her, pulled from his thoughts. "Oh. Yeah, I'm okay."

"It's okay to feel sentimental, you know," Emma said with a knowing smile. She rubbed his arm comfortingly. "I do, too."

He smiled at the small act of consolation, loving how Emma always knew what he was thinking.

"I can't believe he's an adult. Off on his own now… It feels like just yesterday I was teaching him how to ride a bike." He chuckled in disbelief.

"I know…" she agreed, looking out the window at the beautiful greenery. "I'm so proud of him though. How far he's come… ever since he showed up late to class that first day of school in fifth grade…" her voice trailed off and she looked sideways at Will, who was laughing.

"Gosh, time sure flies, doesn't it?"

"It sure does."

"Good thing we have forever."

She smiled shyly and squeezed his knee lovingly.

When they pulled into their narrow driveway, the same driveway they pulled into every day for seven years, Will gave a sigh of contentment.

"Home sweet home," he said as he opened the door for Emma.

"Why thank you, sir" she said teasingly as she took his hand and got out of the car. Will put his arm around Emma as they walked up to the house.

"We've got this whole big house all to ourselves now," he commented casually. "And look, it's still morning."

"Whatever shall we do with all this time and all this space in this big empty house?" Emma said in mock wonder, putting her hand over her mouth.

"I've got some ideas," Will said, winking, and turned to kiss Emma on the lips. She smiled as she kissed him back, and he picked her up and carried her into the cute little house as they continued to kiss.

He laid her down on their big fluffy bed, unbuttoning her sweater and planting feather kisses on her neck and chest. She moaned softly, as she always did, when he hit that spot on her neck, that one spot that made her eyes roll back into her head in pleasure.

Their lips thrashed together perfectly, as if it was their first time kissing all over again. And that was the beauty of their relationship; every time they kissed, it was like the first time. It never got old.

He continued his ministrations on her neck, sucking softly just how she liked it, when suddenly Emma's pleasure turned into discomfort. She squirmed uncomfortably under him, swallowing a bad taste in her mouth.

"Will…" she murmured softly, lightly putting her hand between them on his chest. He mistook her murmur of discomfort for a pleasured mumble, and continued to kiss her neck, moving down to her collarbone.

"Will, stop," she said, gently pushing him off of her and sitting up slowly in the bed.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Will was immediately concerned, seeing the odd look on her face.

"I just… I don't feel good," she said, putting a hand to her mouth.

"Do you want to-" But before he could finish his suggestion, Emma had run out of the bedroom and into the connecting bathroom, hesitating only to slide the door shut behind her. She didn't want Will to see her like this, bent over the toilet in pain and humiliation, throwing up her breakfast.

"Must have been bad eggs," she wailed as she vomited, mentally cursing the store she had bought the eggs from.

"Emma, open the door! Are you okay? Emma, what's happening? Talk to me, baby, please." Will was pounding on the door, so worried about his sickly wife.

"No… go… away…" she croaked weakly.

Just then, a light bulb flashed inside Emma's head. Her eyes spotted an innocent little box hanging out of the bathroom cabinet, a little box that she had planned to use today. But had not found it necessary. Emma gave a little gasp and began to count furiously inside her head, counting and recounting. There was no question about it. Emma's period was late, the first time it had ever been late since she was fifteen years old.

She shook her head, brushing away the theory that was creeping up at the back of her mind. But still… all the signs pointed to it… She decided to make sure. Ripping open another box she had kept at the back of the medicine cabinet just in case, Emma sat down on the toilet and waited. After five minutes, she stared at the pregnancy test in her hands and saw a little blue plus sign, clear as day.

"Oh my god…" Putting her hand to her mouth, Emma cried out in pure joy and excitement. "Will….? Come in here please?"

In a flash, Will was by her side, brushing her ginger hair out of her face. "What's wrong, Em?" Wordlessly, she showed him the pregnancy test, looking up at him with happy brown eyes. He stared at the small stick with his mouth half open, then looked back down at his wife, who was holding back a huge smile.

"Oh my god, Emma… a baby?" He was surprised, but beyond happy, and as Emma laughed tears of joy, he picked her up and spun her around.

"We're gonna be parents! Together!" he shouted happily, almost in disbelief, and they shared a warm hug, so happy and safe in each other's arms, now containing something new, another beautiful thing, to keep them happily bound together for eternity.

* * *

**Well, that's officially the ending. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I just want to let you all know how grateful I am to all of my readers, for being so sweet and kind with the reviews, and for sticking with me to the very end! I don't know if I'm _completely_ happy with the way the ending turned out, but there you are! Thank you all so much! I love you guys!  
**


End file.
